A Tennessee man has filed a White House petition, asking the United States government to declare the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday.
I know, I know. It might seem a little strange. Given the current state of professional football in Tennessee, you’d think the guy would want to move on. And some non-football fans (my editor, for one) might wonder why we’d ever celebrate a silly game predicated on people running and throwing things and hitting one another. “By that rationale,” my editor might say, “every day care in the country would qualify for a national holiday.”
Yes, my editor needs a bit of sports therapy—a subject too complicated to get into now. We’ll have to discuss that in a later post (perhaps when he’s on vacation).
But, personally, I think it’s a great idea, this holiday. Super Bowl Sunday itself might as well be one already.
Like Halloween, it gives us an opportunity to dress up and paint our faces. Like Thanksgiving, it encourages us to eat way too much. Like Christmas, it’s preceded by a whole slew of televised specials. And like the Fourth of July, there’s always the promise of fireworks—particularly if your rabid football fanatic Uncle Ed is in attendance and he’s had too much to drink. And let’s face it: Super Bowl Sunday is already observed by way more people than, say, Columbus or Presidents’ Day.
Why, you could even argue that, for some, the Super Bowl is almost a religious holiday. Now, I’m not suggesting that God cares who wins, but I’m guessing He’ll still hear from several hundred thousand people who don’t speak to Him regularly. “Please, Lord,” the standard Super Bowl prayer might begin. “Let 49ers kicker David Akers make this one.”
Chew on this when you’re shopping for your traditional Super Bowl Sunday bag of pork rinds: Holidays here are all about celebrating who we are and why we’re that way. Every holiday we celebrate (with the possible exception of Groundhog Day) has something to do with our country’s history or our religious beliefs. We honor what we, as a society, hold dear. Perhaps it’s not so surprising that Halloween has gotten so sexy or Christmas so commercial. We Americans tend to be preoccupied with sex and shopping, and so—perhaps subconsciously—we’ve created space to “celebrate” those less-than-celebratorious national character traits.
Now, when you think about America—what we love and what we’re perhaps best known for around the world—you think entertainment. Sure, the world’s televisions and smartphones are typically made overseas. But what we watch on them? Or anywhere? Chances are, that comes with a “Made in the U.S.A.” stamp on it.
This week, Django Unchained was the most popular movie in 18 countries, according to boxofficemojo.com. Of the 49 countries or regions the site tracks, 42 of them logged an American movie as its favorite for the week. Our musicians get the world’s toes a-tapping. Reruns of Dallas and Baywatch and loads of others are incredibly popular abroad. And when folks in Mumbai or Moscow or Manchester decide to play a video game, chances are they’re not playing the newest title from Seville.
And if anything, we’re even more entertainment-addled here at home. The average American household spends about 5.6% of its income on entertainment every year—nearly $3,000.
No single bit of entertainment is more popular than the Super Bowl. Nine of history’s Top 10 highest-rated television programs are Super Bowls. An estimated 111 million people worldwide will tune into the big game Sunday—some of them merely to see the commercials.
My editor, though, says he’s going to take advantage of the sparse traffic and drive out to see some snow sculptures in Breckenridge, Colo., during the game. Sigh.
Perhaps there are those of you who’d join him in saying that the Super Bowl doesn’t deserve holiday recognition. And perhaps you’d be right. Still, when I think of events or happenings that can reliably bring families and friends together—and without the immediate threat of a nasty food fight sparked by a discussion on immigration reform—the Super Bowl has few equals. For my family, with its busy, college-age kids and hard-working parents and slightly insane dog, it’s one of the few times when we can reliably spend three hours together. And there’s something to be said for that.
So whether you’re in favor of the petition or not, whether you plan to watch the game or not, whether you might be prone to ask whether Joe Flacco scored a home run or not, let me encourage you to do this: Treat the day as a holiday. Spend time with your family however see fit, even if it’s seeing snow sculptures during a blizzard. Celebrate each other with each other. Any excuse to do that seems worth the taking.
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