With the Bengals headed to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season, we figured now was as good a time as any to throw a hail mary and bring back the time-old question; why isn’t the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday?
Here’s the thing, just like the Bengals, the numbers are there. According to our research, there’s no reason why the Monday after the Super Bowl shouldn’t be a paid holiday. In fact, we found 5 pretty big reasons to support our argument. So whether you’re a football fan or simply a fan of getting one more day off a year, keep reading to see why we all deserve a day off after the Super Bowl.
In 2021, 96.4 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl LV either by TV or streaming. Despite being lower than years past, this is not the least viewed Super Bowl in modern history. With over 152 million people employed in 2021, over half the workforce tunes in to watch the Super Bowl. If the Super Bowl was an official holiday (with paid time off), it would make it the 4th most celebrated paid holiday in the US above holidays like New Years Day and Veterans Day.
Whether businesses know it or not, 16.1 million people plan on taking the Monday after the Super Bowl off. More importantly, only 8.8 million of those people requested the day off ahead of time. That’s right, nearly 8 million employees will call out “sick” the day after the Super Bowl. If the Monday after the Super Bowl was a paid holiday, short staffing could be avoided entirely.
The Super Bowl is more than just a football game, it’s an entire event with entertainment, food, and drinks. However, the food and drinks most people enjoy during the game aren’t exactly healthy. In 2021, the Super Bowl brought in $1.4 billion in beer sales, and over 1.4 billion wings were consumed across the country. Not exactly a combination that puts employees in the best shape for work the next day.
For local businesses that decide to stay open on Super Bowl Sunday, it’s historically a slow revenue day. Even restaurants and bars are impacted by Super Bowl Sunday in a negative way. Restaurants bring in 14% less revenue than the average day and 19% less revenue than a typical Sunday. Bars, on the other hand, bring in 8% less revenue than an average Sunday. If Monday was a national holiday, local businesses would have an extra day to recuperate losses from the Super Bowl, as Americans would be able to get out and enjoy the three-day weekend.
If there’s any reason to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday it’s this one. American’s average 7.6 paid holidays a year. That’s right for an entire’s year worth of work you’re only given a week’s worth of paid holidays. In comparison countries in the EU average 20 paid holidays a year. Not to mention only 3% of workers in the US receive more than 14 vacation days. Vacation time has been proven to reduce stress, improve brainpower, and improve employee performance. The US is putting businesses at a global disadvantage by not providing employees with adequate paid vacation time.
We know making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday might be a long shot, but it never hurts to ask! Even though many companies, like Unsupervised, have adopted unlimited paid time off policies or increased vacation days, studies show the average American forfeits half of their paid time off. Providing an extra day a year where employees have to rest and recharge can go a long way towards the success of every business.
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