It’s down the the beer companies. They’re a major advertiser, so the NFL doesn’t want to tick them off. If the Churches sold beer, they’d be exempt too.
There is nothing wrong with having a Super Bowl party at a church. I would much rather hang out with my Christian friends and enjoy watching the game in a lively atmosphere that isn’t filled with smoke, raunchy talk and copious amounts of booze. Plus, a lot of churches use the halftime as a chance to share some type of message or devotional. Even if they don’t “hold church”, then there is also a good chance that a non-believer will be there to see that Christians DO enjoy life. After all, wasn’t the very first mention of Jesus’ ministry his attendance at a wedding?
Let’s not fuddy-duddy ourselves, Christians.
Bars are not “exempt.” Bars pay money for the right to show TV to their patrons. And it’s based on the number of seats they have with a view of a TV.
That’s hardly an “exemption.” If a given church would like to negotiate a similar deal, I’m sure they could. What they can’t do is take a broadcast intended for the private viewing of a home audience and make a public spectacle of it. There’s a Commandment against that.