Should 'Super Bowl Monday' Be a National Holiday?
A Fantasy Football website is petitioning the government to make the day a holiday in an effort to boost national camaraderie.
Should the day after the Super Bowl be a recognized holiday in the United States?
A group of sports fans and concerned citizens seems to think so, and has gone as far as to file a petition with WhiteHouse.gov petitions, according to a recent post on AOL Jobs.
The petition argues that about 111 million Americans watched the Super Bowl in 2012, thus making it the most-viewed broadcast in history, according to the post.
As such, the group involved - Fantasy Football site 4for4.com - claims that if the Monday after the game were deemed a national holiday, the streets would be safer and the workplace would be more productive on the following Tuesday.
"We at 4for4.com Fantasy Football petition the Obama Administration to consider declaring the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday," the petition states. "By doing so, the Obama Administration can promote camaraderie among the American people, keep the streets safer for our children on Sunday night and Monday morning, promote a productive workplace when work resumes on Tuesday, and honor the most popular event in modern American culture."
As of Monday, Feb. 4, the petition raked in 14,922 signatures, but still needs to receive about 85,000 more to get an official response from the federal government.
Meanwhile, AOL Jobs reported that close to 4.4 million Americans arrive late to work the day after the big game, and 9 percent of workers use the day as a vacation day, while about 3 percent call in sick.
Do you agree? Should "Super Bowl Monday" be considered a national holiday? Let us know in the comments section below.
Todd Ouellet
11:52 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
This is Fodder! Fodder! Fodder! Don't we have drinking and driving laws in place to keep us safe. As for people being more productive and going to work as normal. Is that not called responsibility! This is part of all the problems in this country. We have become a lazy do as I want nation. If something is hard to do its not worth doing. Celebrate whatever days you want but dont expect the country to confirm to accomodate your lazy soul!
Brandy G.
12:34 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Unless the day is Christmas, of course, in which case everything shuts down except Chinese food restaurants.
FODDER!
parkst
12:45 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
no
deb of see-attleboro
1:39 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
agree
Jonathan Friedman
12:47 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
If the NFL ever decides to go through with the plan for an 18-game season, the Super Bowl would be the day before Presidents Day and then everybody can take Monday off with no problem, even the "lazy souls."
HJ
2:35 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Most people that work (i.e. non-school) don't have Prez Day off, and I doubt they'd waste a vacation day on it.
Stephanie
9:20 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I thought the plan was that they'd actually cut back to 2 preseason games instead, which would keep the Superbowl around the same time.
Heather
1:13 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Rather than making the Monday a holiday why don't they just move the Super Bowl to a Saturday?
Stephen Smith
2:34 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Heather, My sister said the same thing to me yesterday. At first I thought no way but then I thought NFL plays some its playoff games on Saturday so why not move it to a Saturday
Avon Barksdale
3:07 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
The potential television audience is much smaller on Saturdays, people go out.
Elizabeth Hyde
2:34 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
No to a special holiday, but if it was held on the Sunday of Presidents' Day weekend, then that would be fine. Or, like Heather said, why not make it a Saturday night game? The audience would surely follow...
Todd Ouellet
6:04 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Moving to Saturday a great idea. If the fans are truly "fanatical" they will follow to Saturday. Great Idea!
Elsie
6:19 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I agree move it to Saturtday, I don't think it will hurt viewership. As for a holiday weekend, I'm for that too.
Avon Barksdale
9:17 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Every single network executive disagrees with you. And for an event as large as the Super Bowl, every tenth of a percentage point costs (or earns) millions upon millions of dollars. When you have one chance per year to maximize revenue out of your largest event, you don't do anything that will damage it.
Super Bowl Sunday is huge because non-football fans (and non-SPORTS-fans) watch the game for the spectacle. The vast majority of people watching barely know that the NFL even exists. These are people who have other plans on Saturday night, go to church the next morning, and don't care about watching football if they have other options. Sunday evening you have all of America's (and a good part of the world's) attention and just about everybody is home (you also don't want to lose ratings points because more people watch in bars and fewer sets are tuned to the game).
Anthony Rea
10:30 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I just posted to anothher site that millions of people work Sundays. Do you want the hospital to close the day after the big game. Or how about mcdonalds or dunkin donuts closing so they can sleep in too. Dont buy your food at the market the day after the super bowl. Dumb idea.
Elizabeth Hyde
12:08 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Hospitals never close, so that would be unlikely. And millions work on Mondays too. Most comments here don't agree with a national holiday just because of the Super Bowl. I'd venture to say that people who work in service or retail jobs already are accustomed to working on Sundays or holidays that other businesses and schools get.
Paul Lasiewski
10:25 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I'd agree to the national holiday and "Super Bowl Monday" as long as my birthday is also a national holiday and "Paulie Monday".
Tina Mqs
2:08 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Moe over- mine too! What would we be wanting this to be a national holiday for, again? If we need a national holiday for the sole purpose of eating and drinking into oblivion and skip work the next day, we're doomed.
Tony George
10:24 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I would support having the Super Bowl continued playing on Sunday and in New Orleans every year...what better venue can compete with that city for its food, music, people, Bourbon Street and of course, the Mercedes Dome...very elegant....
Anthony Rea
3:44 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
All I meant by my statement is that there is no such thing as a true national holiday anyway. There's always somebody working at every minute of every day. I think they should worry about more important days. I think they should combine Labor Day and 9/11 and make one holiday on Septermber 11th. That's the only reason 9/11 isn't a holiday because it's too close to Labor Day.