Alright, most of the beer bottles are empty. The soda cans are in the recycling bin. Only crumbs are left from the chips and the dip is starting to look nasty. And no, the veggie platter still hasn’t been touched. But can someone please tell me why most of America has to work tomorrow?
You can say what you want about the Super Bowl, but there’s no question that its crossed into mainstream of American culture. If you’re not watching it, then you usually end up having to defend why you have alternative plans. In a sports-crazed nation, it is the only sporting event of it’s kind.
I understand that our leaders are working on important issues in Washington DC. Two wars and a collapsing economy rightly have our government’s attention. But don’t you think they could take 15 minutes out of their hectic schedules to declare the Monday after the Super Bowl a national day of rest? Most of the people are already exhausted from their parties, junk food sleep-bombs and even the occasional cocktail. Lets be real– no one will be worth a damn tomorrow.
Super Bowl MVP: Santonio Holmes
I’m still trying to figure out why the NFL didn’t take the 2 minutes it would have required to review Kurt Warner’s fumble in the waining seconds. I’m still trying to figure out how the Steelers offense (which was non-existant for most of the 2nd half) was able to march down the field in less than 3 minutes to win another Super Bowl. And I’m really trying to figure out how Santonio Holmes will henceforth be known as “Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.” I should have the requisite time to let this digest, but instead I’m preparing for work! I’m not the only one that deals with this dilemna. Check out what MSNBC had to say a few years ago:
Kronos recently surveyed approximately 1,300 adults over the age 18 and asked if they would be coming to work the morning after the game… Five percent of the respondents admitted that they planned to call in sick. With the U.S. working population numbering about 140 million people, Itkin estimates that “come Monday, there will be 7 million empty cubicles around the country, costing employers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity.”
We have Martin Luther King Day in the middle of January and two different President’s Birthday’s in February. When I was younger, I thought we should celebrate MLK’s birthday the day after the Super Bowl. As I’ve gotten older, I realize that’s just ridiculous. No, I have a better idea: the NFL should move the Super Bowl to make sure that a holiday is on the immediate following Monday. Start the season a week later, throw in a bye week, make another round in the playoffs– do whatever needs to be done!
So have fun at work tomorrow everyone. I’ll be at work… I won’t be awake and I probably won’t do a damn thing, but I’ll be there. Will you?
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
