Super Bowl Saturday: Move the big game up a day — and let people rest and recover on Sunday. Part 4
Tom Lawrence has written several columns about the Super Bowl over the last few years, including some with a South Dakota angle. On this Super Sunday, we republish a few of his gridiron musings.
Oh, and go Chiefs!
From 2017:
Enjoy the Big Game?
Did you cheer, grumble, celebrate and whine at various times Sunday? And just during the commercials . . .
How about the food? Did you sample the wings, the pizza, the sub sandwiches, the chips and salsa, and everything else that made the table — and you — groan under the weight?
End up with a little heartburn? And by a little, I mean, did you go through a roll of Tums, a few gallons of cold water and still awaken at 3:27 a.m. Monday with fire coming out of several parts of your body?
Perhaps you sampled a beer or two, a shot or three, some wine or other beverage.
Oh, by the way, how about that game, right? Who woulda guessed that we would witness the first overtime Super Bowl, a truly great game?
I watched the Super Bowl like a good American. I thought about not doing so, but it is the law. And after three drab quarters, well, wow! Give the Patriots credit.
I’m not a big football guy, since I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan. The Chiefs played in two of the first four Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl IV 23-7 over the Minnesota Vikings in 1970, who were just getting used to losing the title contest.
Since then, the Chiefs and their fans have had most January days free.
The Vikes would go on to lose three more Super Bowls in the 1970s, and I watched all of those games, seeing family members and friends grow more miserable and bitter with each defeat on a cold January afternoon.
Of course, things have changed. Now they would lose in February. And the game wouldn’t be over until late in the evening, thanks to a kickoff at 5:30 p.m. CST. And that’s on a Sunday night, in a game packed full of expensive, much-anticipated commercials and with an extra-long halftime show.
One of the best ideas I have heard in recent years was to move the Super Bowl to Saturday. It makes perfect sense, so of course it won’t happen. But there’s an excellent case to be made for it.
For one thing, there is a two-week break between the AFC and NFC title games. The teams are raring to go by the weekend of the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl used to start in the afternoon, but it has steadily moved into the evening. The first plays are now held in the early evening and most of it is in prime time. Because of the length of the game, it’s not over until 9 p.m. CST or later.
Still, millions of football fans have to arise on Monday, shake off the after-effects of the massive national party and head into work. I am guessing the post-Super Bowl impact on the national economy could be measured in the millions, with people calling in “sick” or showing up unable to do more than discuss the game or shuffle to the water cooler or bathroom for much of the day.
So why not hold it on Saturday? It’s a big party, a chance for Americans to celebrate the end of the football season. After months of cheering, they have another big blowout while hoping the game isn’t one.
It would make perfect sense to do this on Saturday night. People could enjoy the game and celebrate or commiserate well into the evening. They could sleep late on Sunday, head to church or a breakfast buffet and replay the game while reading the Sunday paper.
Why won’t this excellent plan be adopted? Simple. NFL officials have admitted it’s a worthwhile idea, but point to TV ratings. Sunday night is the biggest night of the week, while Saturday’s TV audience pales in comparison.
I think that’s a poor excuse. If the Super Bowl was played on a Tuesday afternoon, tens of millions of people would watch.
But it’s never going to happen. So deal with your headache and upset stomach and get back to work.
Maybe Fox NFL analyst Troy Aikman has the best idea. He says keep the game on Sunday — tradition and all, you know — but give the country Monday off.
After that thriller, we could have all used the day to recover and remember.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: President George W. Bush hosting 2006 Super Bowl champs, Vince Lombardi trophy in foreground, public domain, wikimedia commons
