Youth Group Game for the Super Bowl: Super Bowl Showdown
Bible: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Hebrews 12:11
Bottom Line: Discipline and preparation matter in sports and in following Jesus.
SUPPLIES
- Football
- Trash can or large bucket
- Paper football (or folded paper)
- Tape or cones to mark a finish line
- Open floor space for push-ups
- Chairs or cones to create a field goal
GAME PREP
Before the game starts, clear enough space at the front of the room for students to move safely. Place a trash can across the room for the quarterback challenge. Use tape or cones to mark a start and finish line for the running challenge. Set up a makeshift field goal using chairs, cones, or volunteers holding their arms up. Have a football ready for throwing, snapping, and catching challenges, and decide ahead of time whether students will compete individually or as teams.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
Tell students that today they are competing in a Super Bowl Skills Challenge. Explain that each round represents a different football position and tests a different skill. For every challenge, you will send one student or one student from each team forward to compete.
QB MVP: Send your Quarterbacks forward! Whoever can throw the football into the trash can across the room quickest is the winner.
RUN IT BACK: Send your Running backs in! Whoever can sprint across the finish line and back first is the winner! The catch: You can only use one foot.
CENTER SNAPPER: Send your steady centers up! When you hear the word “HUT” yelled, snap the ball! If you snap early, you are disqualified. You can only snap when the word “HUT” is yelled! First successful snap wins!
BLIND RECEIVER: Get your hands ready! We’ll throw a football over your head while you look forward. Can you catch the ball without seeing it? If you turn around, you are disqualified. First team to catch the leading pass wins!
FIELD GOAL FLICK: Send your best kicker forward! Whoever can successfully flick the paper football through the makeshift field goal is the winner.
GRIDIRON GRIT: We need the toughest defensive players around who can hold the line! It’s time for a good old-fashioned push-up challenge. Only the strongest will survive!
CELEBRATION NATION: Send your most animated player forward. It’s time to see your touchdown celebration. Best celebration is the winner!
TEACH
Some of those challenges were harder than others.
Ask the group which challenge felt the hardest and why, then allow a few students to respond. Ask which challenge required the most focus or self-control, and let a few students answer.
Every challenge you just watched required a different skill. Some required strength, some required balance, some required timing, and some required trust. None of those skills happen by accident.
Professional athletes do not just show up on game day and hope everything works out. They train when no one is watching. They listen to coaches. They repeat drills that are uncomfortable and frustrating because they know preparation matters.
That is why the Bible compares following Jesus to athletic training.
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.
Paul explains that athletes discipline themselves to win something that will not last. As followers of Jesus, we discipline ourselves for something that does last. Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is preparation.
Ask students what habits athletes practice every day to get better, then allow a few responses.
Following Jesus also involves daily habits. Prayer, reading Scripture, obeying God even when it is difficult, and listening to people God has placed in authority in your life are all part of spiritual training.
Ask why discipline often feels hard or uncomfortable, then allow a few responses.
Read Hebrews 12:11.
Discipline rarely feels good in the moment, but it produces growth later. God does not discipline us because He is angry with us. He disciplines us because He loves us and wants us to grow.
Just like training prepares athletes for a big game, spiritual discipline prepares us for real life. When temptation comes, when life gets hard, or when you are unsure what to do, your training shows up.
Ask students what is one area of their life where God might be trying to grow them right now, and allow a few responses.
Close by reminding students that growth does not happen by accident. Discipline today prepares us for tomorrow, and God is always working to make us stronger, not to hold us back.