Making the Super Bowl Great Again
We watched the Super Bowl on Sunday after enjoying a wonderful worship service in the morning. The annual gridiron classic is usually the biggest global television event of the year.
The live average audience for the 2025 broadcast was 127.7 million people watching in 130 nations. That was up 3% from last year’s record viewership though the game itself was a bit of a dud. The Philadelphia Eagles led 24-0 at halftime and cruised to a well-earned 40-22 victory over the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Super Bowl is an American cultural experience I’d like to analyze in depth. It speaks volumes about values and trends in American society–for good and for bad.
I think it’s time to “Make the Super Bowl Great Again.”
Making the Super Bowl Great Again
The National Football League, with 32 teams scattered across the USA, is valued at $163 billion dollars with 20 billion is annual revenues. It’s America’s favorite athletic league. Interestingly, football on all levels is currently filled with many coaches and players of faith–more so than most sports.
American football is the consummate team game requiring eleven players on offense, eleven on defense, and 31 others who play on special teams and back up the starters. Most NFL squads have about fifteen coaches, and dozens of others that serve on and off the field. The 32 teams employ 6,000 people, their “franchises” hundreds more each, and it takes 12 to 20 cameras and 150 to 200 employees to broadcast a regular season game.
On the money/inflation side of things, it is a game owned by billionaires, with many millionaire players, and 2025 tickets running between $5000-$8000 each. (Ouch.)
This year’s game was intriguing as the Kansas City Chiefs were gunning to become the second team in NFL history to win three championships in a row. The Green Bay Packers did it twice, in 1929-31 and 1965-67.
I remember as a teenager being mesmerized by the 1967 champions who featured Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor (running backs), and Bart Starr at quarterback. When our ninth grade team went undefeated that year and won a league championship (I played quarterback–but not like a young Jalen Hurts), Coach Bob Ames, who’d briefly played for the Packers, ordered me a special copy of Vince Lombardi’s legendary book Run to Daylight .
It was personally autographed by Bart Starr.
Wow.
Sports motivated me, taught me many valuable attitudes and disciplines, and became a catalyst for my own personal faith in Jesus.
Ever since those days, I’ve prayed for God to use sports to teach character, godly values, the importance of faith in Jesus, and living for the glory of God. In today’s world, it’s one of the largest platforms for personal witness.
And nothing is bigger than the Super Bowl.
Over the past two generations, as America turned away from God, the Super Bowl began to reflect many of the sins and excesses of our narcissistic culture. That was a bad witness to the world. But this year, I believe we turned a corner. God is moving in our nation, and the Super Bowl showed glimpses of that growing national renewal.
America was once a great (faith-based) nation because, as historian Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America in 1835, “America is great because America is good.” Why? Because we unitedly believed “In God We Trust.”
That faith foundation was exceptional in every way.
Our faith in God (though never close to being perfect) permeated all aspects of culture and made the United States the most godly, prosperous, and freedom-loving nation in world history.
Here are my thoughts on this year’s Super Bowl and how we can make it great again.
Promos and Commercials
I learned to mute all television commercials 50 years ago from YWAM Bible teacher Gordon Olson. He said “They have a spirit behind them.”
But on Super Bowl Sundays, I make an exception and watch them to get a sense of the “culture.” This year’s repertoire (at 8 million dollars per 30 second spot) featured plenty of silly and stupid ads–a bad image for the USA.
But some commercials/promo pieces displayed powerful, majestic, touching, even godly messages. One of our favorites this year was the Lays Potato Chips commercial of the little girl tenaciously growing her spuds (I do likewise every summer).
I also loved the pregame promo (with Brad Pitt) which showcased the can-do, freedom-loving foundations of American history. The precision jet-flyover at the close of “America the Beautiful” and “The Star Spangled Banner” spoke about God and our cherished freedoms.
The cultural shift in America showed up in numerous ads and specials. Randy DeSoto shares them all with the positive breakdown here. There was also the “Jesus Gets Us” commercial funded by David Green of Hobby Lobby. I disagree with columnist Jennifer O’Connell on this one. I thought it was moving.
Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
Halftime Show
Most of the halftime song & dance spectaculars have been dubious for years, mimicking the American decline. Now I know why. Brandon Morse explains that Jay-Z’s company “Roc Nation” signed a deal with the NFL in 2019 to operate its halftime shows. Jay-Z’s aim was to introduce hip-hop and rap to the masses via America’s largest sporting event while the NFL proved it was all about racial diversity and inclusion.
Let’s call this what it really is–“secular discipleship propaganda.”
Morse explains that the goal of the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t to appeal to the largest amount of fans, at least not anymore. The purpose is to maintain the attention of younger generations who will go and stream the music they hear and rake in the largest pool of cash for the people running the operation.
No wonder the productions have been raunchy. (Here’s another perspective from Jerry Wilson on the halftime show.)
We need to bring the “biggest show on earth” back to the majesty, beauty, purity, and yes–diversity–of American culture for all the world to see. It’s an opportunity to “disciple the nations” through wholesome entertainment.
The Word of Their Testimony
My favorite part of every National Football League game showcases some of the coaches and players sharing their faith at the conclusion. After this year’s Eagle’s victory, head coach Nick Sirianni and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts gave heart-felt expressions of faith.
Sirianni said with deep emotion:
God’s blessed us very much. He gave us all the talents to be able to get here, so first and foremost, thanks to Him. … Thank God, thank you Jesus.
His testimony was one of the most serious explanations of trusting God I’ve ever heard in sports.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, also praised God for the victory:
God is good — He’s greater than all the highs and the lows.
You can hear their full faith-expressions here on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
What’s perhaps most interesting about both the 2024 Eagles and Chiefs is that numerous players on both teams often speak about their faith in Jesus. So did the Ohio State Buckeye players after winning the NCAA college championship on January 20.
God is on the move.
This Year’s Matchup
I understand your distaste for the NFL, David. I share it in many ways. But I look at it through the eyes of what God wants to do through it despite the motives of men.
The Super Bowl is the biggest show of “Americana” that the world sees on television. I want that platform to project to hundreds of millions of people our love of faith, family, freedom, through faith in Jesus.
I want HIM to be lifted up so that he can “draw all men unto me.”
Like Paul, I don’t really care about the owner’s motivations. I go back to Paul’s perspective in Philippians 1:15-18:
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
So what’s important? That CHRIST IS PREACHED. (Truth is proclaimed.)
That’s what I’m praying for–even through the Super Bowl.
God bless you my friend.
Sorry Ron, but he NFL is nothing more than an evil, secular, anti-Christian and woke organization. While there are very good Christian men playing the game the actions of the NFL as an organization tell exactly what it is. Remember how different Tim Tebow and Colin Kapernick were treated?
I did watch my first NFL game since 2015, but only because of the rumors that Elon Musk has purchased $40M in commercial add time to tell the world of the spending waste by the American government. I would submit that is the only reason viewership increased.
It was very disappointing this didn’t happen.
It will be another decade at least before I turn on another NFL game.