Around the NFL: Super Bowl Thread

[mooby]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Approximately 100 million folks in the US watch the Super Bowl on Sunday night at 6:30 EST every year. So, now many more would watch on Saturday night? Check TV ratings and you will find that Saturday night is not a prime TV slot.

Let's check the arguments you might make to your Congressthing to make Super Bowl Monday a Federal Holiday:

1. I get wasted on Sunday night and I need a day off.

2. "crickets"...

Now there is a motivation for an elected official to start a movement to create another Federal Holiday. Last time I checked, the Hedonism Party in the US did not elect a whole lot of folks to the Congress.

Really? You assume that #1 is the only reason for putting the SB on Saturday night? I don't think it matters whether Saturday is a prime slot or not, you could put the SB on on a Wednesday night and people would still watch it. The more people segment I'm referring to would be parents of kids who allow them to stay up later on a Saturday than on a Sunday night, since Sunday night is a school night. If the game was on Saturday, parents wouldn't be so concerned about letting their kids stay up a little late.

As far as the getting wasted argument goes, I'm pretty sure the number of people who call out of work is big enough that you could justify putting it on a Saturday night. So while the whole getting wasted argument doesn't sound pretty, it is what it is. How many people do you know that decline the opportunity to go to a SB party and have some drinks just because they have work in the morning?

[Alvin Walton]

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[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by mooby

Really? You assume that #1 is the only reason for putting the SB on Saturday night? I don't think it matters whether Saturday is a prime slot or not, you could put the SB on on a Wednesday night and people would still watch it. The more people segment I'm referring to would be parents of kids who allow them to stay up later on a Saturday than on a Sunday night, since Sunday night is a school night. If the game was on Saturday, parents wouldn't be so concerned about letting their kids stay up a little late.

As far as the getting wasted argument goes, I'm pretty sure the number of people who call out of work is big enough that you could justify putting it on a Saturday night. So while the whole getting wasted argument doesn't sound pretty, it is what it is. How many people do you know that decline the opportunity to go to a SB party and have some drinks just because they have work in the morning?

First of all, weekday games for the NFL have never drawn as well as Sunday games with the exception of a few MNF games over the 40-year history of MNF.

The NFL used to play Saturday games after the college season was over in December on the major over-the-air-networks. Their ratings were ALWAYS less than on Sunday. That is PART of the reason the NFL does not do that any more.

If they played the Super Bowl on a Wednesday - - as you suggested in your hyperbole - - they would likely draw a smaller audience. Oh, and by the way, Wednesday would be a work night too...

One other thing, the NFL really does not care a whole lot if kids get to stay up to see the game on the East Coast of the US. [Note, that is not a big deal at all on the West Coast where the game kicks off at 3:30 PM.] NFL sponsors tend to be car companies, beer companies, insurance companies etc. Frosted Flakes is not likely to spend $3M on a Super Bowl slot because a few extra kiddies might be looking in. Super Bowl telecasts are there to rake in rights fees and those rights fees are tied to advertising rates. Advertising rates are tied to ADULTS who tune in...

There is a huge difference to employers - - either the govt or a private company - - between paying employees for a holiday and paying them to take a sick day off.

When you get wasted and take the next day off, you get paid - - AND THEN you have one less sick-day/personal-day/vacation-day where you will not be at work but still drawing salary.

If it is a holiday you get the day off AND THEN you still get to take your full compliment of sick-days/personal-days/vacation-days.

If you write to your Congressman, he is going to recognize that significant difference so you better come up with a really good explanation as to why this is a critical national issue. Yours will not be the first letter along that line that he will have received - - and yet the legislation never seems to get introduced. Wonder why that is...?

[mooby]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

First of all, weekday games for the NFL have never drawn as well as Sunday games with the exception of a few MNF games over the 40-year history of MNF.

First of all, the SB, like it or not, is not your average NFL game. What draws better ratings in a head to head comparison, the BCS National Championship game or just your average weekday college football game, between two top 15 schools no less? The SB will get good ratings no matter what day it's on, simply because it's the SB. The flagship game of the flagship league in the US. But nobody will ever know what kind of ratings the SB would get on a day other than Sunday because in today's day and age it's only been played on Sundays. And you can't compare the SB's of today to the SB's of 40 years ago, because it's two completely different era's.

The NFL used to play Saturday games after the college season was over in December on the major over-the-air-networks. Their ratings were ALWAYS less than on Sunday. That is PART of the reason the NFL does not do that any more.

The NFL still does play games on Saturdays once college football is over, look no further than Dec. 24th of last year for a day in which the entire slate of NFL games was played so players/coaches wouldn't have to play/work on X-mas.

If they played the Super Bowl on a Wednesday - - as you suggested in your hyperbole - - they would likely draw a smaller audience. Oh, and by the way, Wednesday would be a work night too...

Maybe they would, but we'll never know simply because the SB will never be played on a Wednesday. That was just an example, not a suggestion.

One other thing, the NFL really does not care a whole lot if kids get to stay up to see the game on the East Coast of the US. [Note, that is not a big deal at all on the West Coast where the game kicks off at 3:30 PM.] NFL sponsors tend to be car companies, beer companies, insurance companies etc. Frosted Flakes is not likely to spend $3M on a Super Bowl slot because a few extra kiddies might be looking in. Super Bowl telecasts are there to rake in rights fees and those rights fees are tied to advertising rates. Advertising rates are tied to ADULTS who tune in...

I'm very aware that kids are not the NFL's primary target market. Simply saying that if the game was on a Saturday night, it would open it up to another audience, namely families (also known as viewers) who don't stay up late on Sunday nights for whatever reason. I'm well aware that the SB is as much a corporate event as an NFL game. Why do you think the NFL makes sure all it's sponsors get plenty of tickets to the game?

There is a huge difference to employers - - either the govt or a private company - - between paying employees for a holiday and paying them to take a sick day off.

When you get wasted and take the next day off, you get paid - - AND THEN you have one less sick-day/personal-day/vacation-day where you will not be at work but still drawing salary.

If it is a holiday you get the day off AND THEN you still get to take your full compliment of sick-days/personal-days/vacation-days.

I'm not advocating making the Monday after the SB a national holiday. Merely suggesting that if people had the Sunday after the SB off, a lot of people would have no excuse to not come into work on the Monday the next day. Idc whether they use sick leave, vacation pay, or day off with no pay, I'm just saying a lot of people wouldn't call out on Monday if the SB was on a Saturday.

If you write to your Congressman, he is going to recognize that significant difference so you better come up with a really good explanation as to why this is a critical national issue. Yours will not be the first letter along that line that he will have received - - and yet the legislation never seems to get introduced. Wonder why that is...?

Why would I write to my Congressman about something that is an NFL matter, not a congressional one? The NFL has the power to move the SB to a Saturday. I have no desire to see "Super Bowl Monday" become a national holiday.

[Lotus]

The Super Bowl should be moved to a Wednesday. Wednesdays this time of year are so dull. Then we can declare the whole week a Super Bowl Week national holiday. Make it like a second Christmas season.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Lotus

The Super Bowl should be moved to a Wednesday. Wednesdays this time of year are so dull. Then we can declare the whole week a Super Bowl Week national holiday. Make it like a second Christmas season.

Modern Family on Wednesdays. That won't work for me