State lawmakers pushing bill to allow day off after Super Bowl

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Millions of Americans were glued to the TV on Sunday night as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

Super Bowl Sunday has become a day of celebration with food, drinks, fellowship and much more, leaving many dreading waking up early the day after.

But some state lawmakers from Memphis want to change that.

Tennessee state Rep. Joe Towns and Sen. London Lamar have sponsored a bill that would make the Monday after Super Bowl a holiday.

“I’m originally from the Philadelphia area, so I would have liked the Eagles to win,” said Lauren Perry, of Memphis.

Whether you were rooting for the Eagles or Chiefs or had no dog in the fight, you may have wanted the day after the big game off.

“A lot of kids are up late the night before, so it might be nice to not have to get them up in the morning,” said Perry.

Watch parties can easily bleed into early Monday morning, making it a struggle to get to work and be productive throughout the following day.

“I think maybe a lot of people are slow starting today,” Perry said. “I’m not one of them, but a lot of people may be, so sleeping in would be nice.”

That’s why Towns is sponsoring a bill to remove Columbus Day as a legal holiday and make Super Bowl Monday a holiday.

London Lamar has introduced the bill in the state senate. It still has a long way to go, so far it has only been assigned to a senate committee.

“I mean if that is an option, why not, because what is the point of Columbus Day?” Titantia White, of Memphis.

“Columbus Day shouldn’t be around anyways. It is Indigenous People’s Day. That should be on its own thing, so yeah, sure take away Columbus Day,” said Perry.

This bill would change the holidays for the state government. That means state employees and possibly schools could be off on Super Bowl Monday, but wouldn’t necessarily affect their job.

Here’s a statement from Towns:

“In the upcoming final version of the bill, we won’t be replacing any other holidays. But with more than 16 million Americans expected to skip work the day after the Super Bowl and about 8 million expected to ask for the day off in advance, we’re talking about a major hit to the workforce. My bill simply wants to examine giving the rest of us the day off. Let’s face it, it doesn’t get much more American than the Super Bowl and this a bill that can unite both Democrats and Republicans. Since it’s already becoming more and more the norm to miss work the next day. Maybe we should just codify it … or at least just talk about it.”

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