Should The Day After the Super Bowl Be A National Holiday?

*** The video above is from a Fox News story that aired in 2017 ***

Who really wants to be at work on a Monday? Now, add in America's biggest game of the year the night before, and some are really going to be feeling under the weather come Monday. Should the Monday after the Super Bowl really be a national holiday? Some have been suggesting it for years. A study, in 2019, said that over 17 million Americans claimed they would call out from work the next day after the game. Imagine all that productivity lost? And for those dragging themselves into the office or work site the next day, do you think they're getting anything important accomplished?

But now, one online betting source has surveyed Americans again, and there are quite a few who are saying yes to having the day off. DraftKings commissioned a poll in 2020 to see if Americans really want off come the Monday after the Big Game The survey emailed a sample of 1,003 people who identified as sports fans. The survey found that 43% would give up other holidays like Columbus Day, Presidents Day, or MLK Jr Day to have that Monday off instead. Some even went further, and said they'd give up the Fourth of July or Memorial Day, according to the study.

Of course, this survey was conducted right before the spread of the pandemic, and subsequent restrictions, so life was quite different just one year ago. Now, bars have capacity limits and curfews, which limits people from gathering to watch the game in public. Even get -togethers at your own house have health officials concerned. The Centers for Disease Control urged Americans to keep Super Bowls limited with those you already live with. They even suggested taking the parties outside, and not to cheer. Really? Maybe less folks will be celebrating this year.

Also, consider that many more Americans are now working from home anyway, after the COVID-19 pandemic. So, if you're a little hungover, then it's not as big of deal just rolling out of your own bed. You just might want to make sure your camera is off during the Monday morning online conference call.

Now, you may remember one New York state teenager who had a unique proposal to eliminating the whole day. The NY Post shared a story of then 16 year-old Frankie Ruggeri, who felt having the Super Bowl on a Sunday wasn't practical for the fans, or even the NFL. In fact, the Monroe County teen felt so strongly about it he started an online petition at Change.org., that got tens of thousands of signatures. So far, the National Football League has no plans to move the game to Saturdays.