Reverb: Superbowl gets a new name and look.

Superbowl is being rebranded to an event called Reverb. To read more about the changes, click here.

The origin of Superbowl
Superbowl started in the mid-1970s as Bowl-a-thon, an all-night bowling party with an evangelistic message. In 1985, Doug Bagg added a sporting event and Gospel rally in front of the bowl-a-thon, and the first Superbowl was born. Since then, Superbowl has had more than one million people in attendance, and more than 100,000 have recorded decisions for Christ.

Why change the name?
Superbowl has changed over the years. Events now begin with pro or college sports or interactive rallies with games and prizes. After the Gospel presentation and invitation, students spend the rest of the night at a wide variety of entertainment venues in the area, including local university athletic facilities, go-carts, and laser tag — not just bowling. Bowling is still part of many events, but it’s no longer the focus.

The Super Bowl is also very close to our title and a highly protected trademark of the National Football League. Because the names are so similar, it’s possible that as we grew, we could have been required to change the name, possibly with very short notice.

We also want to continue to reach out to new churches, and the name “Superbowl” can be confusing to those who aren’t familiar with the event. Our first step when talking to new churches was almost always to explain that our event was in fact not a football game.

Why Reverb

Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is produced. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space and causes a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air.

This is ultimately our goal for “Word of Life Reverb Night.” We want that sound, the Gospel, to be shared loud and clear to the students who attend and then continue to reverberate out from the arena. We invite students to come to Christ, and we challenge Christian students to share their faith when they go back home.

What’s New
Despite the new name, Reverb will still be the same great event, carrying on the tradition of Superbowl. We will continue to add dates and locations. In addition to the fall tour in November 2014, we will also be offering a winter tour in 2015 with dates mid-January through early March. Reverb will continue to kick off with a high-energy, fun-filled rally, then deliver a clear Gospel message with an opportunity for students to respond before celebrating all night long at premium local venues.