In a surprise move Fox Sports decided to air the controversial Christian themed commercial. The commercial was originally rejected by Fox Sports for containing too much “religious doctrine” and for being too offensive.
The network aired the commercial Just before the fourth quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers game, the 30-second biblical spot popped up in limited markets to the surprise of football fans and Christian media.
In that hour, the Look Up 316 website that the commercial advertised drew so much traffic that it was difficult to load the web page.
“The LookUp316.com website hit totals are soaring …,” Larry Taunton, executive director of Fixed Point Foundation, the group behind the ad, tweeted.
An plethora of media attention undoubtedly help to change Fox Sports mind. It is not clear why the decision was made to reverse their decision, but to God be the glory! The commercial features no preaching but simply encourages curious viewers to look up John 3:16.
In the television ad, a group of friends are watching a football game in a living room. They cheer when one of the players on defense tackles his opponent. Then a closeup is shown of the defensive player’s eye black where he has painted “John 3:16.” One of the viewers asks his neighbor what that means. After the neighbor shrugs, the viewer offers to look it up for them on his cell phone.
The commercial concludes with “LookUp316.com: A Message of Hope.” Watch it below.
