8 sports events that should be named yearly holidays
Shawn Norris
Whether you like them or not, sports are a integral part of our culture. Hundreds of millions of Americans will watch hours upon hours of sporting events each year. Some will be inconsequential baseball games, while others will be major events such as the Super Bowl or the Beer Pong National Championship.
While not all the sports we watch will be of paramount importance, there are a few exceptions throughout the year that really tend to stand out. These games hold a special place in our culture and maybe it’s time that we started treating them accordingly. I say that we start giving some of these days the holiday status they deserve. Now I’m not saying that all of these are of the equal importance, but maybe we should give some thought on giving people the day off when these sporting events roll around each year.
1 Superbowl Monday
This is a no-brainer. The single most-watched game in the world every year is held in such esteem that we throw parties and have large gatherings at bars all across the country in it’s honor. We drink and laugh and complain about commercials. But, the day after is always sluggish (maybe hung-over) and slow moving. Not much seems to get done the day following the game and that’s no accident because it’s tough to find a lot of folks who don’t partake in some sort of festivity on Super Bowl Sunday. So why not give everyone the Monday after the game off. Or at least make it a half day. It would make Super Bowl Sunday that much more enjoyable.
2 The first Thursday/Friday of March Madness
For two days in mid-March businesses loss millions of dollars in productivity because of the NCAA basketball tournament. Almost every office around America starts an office pool for the tournament and that means a good portion of people have something riding on each and every game being played from noon to nine at night. People all around the country obsessively check ESPN for updates and televisions in every break room are tuned into CBS for games and in-game updates. So why not just give everyone the days off? Or at least the Friday off. They aren’t doing much good hiding under their desk compulsively checking scores. They have the March Madness. Let them be free until it blows over.
3 Day after the Daytona 500
Daytona is considered the premier race of the year by NASCAR fans and is watched by close to 30 million people on television. How can you have cars and races sponsored by beer companies and not expect people to tip a few bottles while watching? People throw big parties in parking lots and bars and have a grand old time. It’s the Super Bowl of NASCAR, so why not give the folks who think of it that way the next day off? They may need another 24-hours to fully shake off a Jeff Gordon victory.
4 The day that “Madden” is released each year
John Madden football is a staple of life for men in the United States that are over the age of 16 and have a video game console. Chances are that if you know a male of that age, he has probably skipped classes or work at least once on the day that John Madden football was released. OK, that may be an over-statement, but a lot of men lose their minds the day the game comes out. Trivial? Maybe, but like I said before, it’s a huge deal for men who love football and play video games all over America. Is that enough to make it a holiday? Well I’m not the first person who has broached this subject and I definitely won’t be the last.
5 Day after the BCS National Championship Game
Why they hold this event on a weeknight is beyond me. Most years about 30 million people watch the game on television. It’s a huge deal for the hoards of college football fans that live and die with each snap of their alma mater. And if one of the teams in the game is from your home state, well then forget about it. The fans of college football are much more fervent than in any other sports. If Florida is in the National Championship and you work in Florida, chances are you’ll see a lot of very tired people in your office the day after the game. Most folks should at least get the option of a half-day, but the fans of a college team that actually play in the game should get the day off with no questions asked.
6 The week of/week after the World Cup Finals
This is more for the people in countries around the world that are much more fanatical about their football than we are here in America. The WC Finals are basically the Super Bowl, World Series and World War II all rolled into one insane worldwide event. The previous World Cup Final match in 2006 was played as close to billion people watched on their televisions at home or at a bar. So yeah, probably a good idea to give the world an extra day to get that out of their system before heading back to work.
7 Opening Day of the MLB season
Baseball brings with it a very special place in a lot of people’s heart. It means that spring is upon us; the long winter has passed and we are left with warm wind, cold beer and hot dogs with everything on them. It’s sort of a right of passage more than it is a sporting event. It usually means the first day of really spending some quality time outdoors in the company of other people and finally enjoying the weather for a change. It’s the changing of the seasons and for one day at the beginning of the spring we should all be given the chance to go out and enjoy it. Opening Day would be a perfect opportunity to do so.
8 The day of your team’s victory parade
You supported them for years; through good times and bad. You lived through every home run, fumble and over-time. You even paid the extra for the DirecTV package, just so you could watch every game. And you finally won a championship. It’s time to celebrate and show your appreciation to fellow fans and the athletes that made it possible. It’s been a long road, and moments like this just don’t come around that often these days.
follow guyism:
Other Stories You Might LIke
9 things you need to stop sharing on Facebook
50 photos of people with bad tans
8 actors that most personify manliness
comment on this story
blog comments powered by Disqus