Around the NFL: Super Bowl Thread

[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...?

[los panda]

it's very critical to get a paid day off when it's time to open a new calendar

[SmootSmack]

Moving the Super Bowl up one day would cause millions of dollars in lost revenue for networks, advertisers, sponsors, host cities

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Moving the Super Bowl up one day would cause millions of dollars in lost revenue for networks, advertisers, sponsors, host cities

And that pretty much ends this debate.

[los panda]

host cities, at the very least, would bag more cash if super bowl monday were a federal holiday

[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.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Moving the Super Bowl up one day would cause millions of dollars in lost revenue for networks, advertisers, sponsors, host cities

And that's why my argument is a moot point. Alrighty then.

[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.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Moving the Super Bowl up one day would cause millions of dollars in lost revenue for networks, advertisers, sponsors, host cities

I'm just curious to know how. Would this happen if they made a sudden change? Would there be such a drastic change in viewership that would really cripple revenue?

[los panda]

it's getting ferocious in here

[CrustyRedskin]

lol time well spent!!

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

I'm just curious to know how. Would this happen if they made a sudden change? Would there be such a drastic change in viewership that would really cripple revenue?

It's one less day of business for restaurants in the host cities, one less night for hotels. And it's not just the attendance in these places. It's that these restaurants and hotels are charging premium prices in Indy during this week. And they know they can. It's one less night for sponsors to host "official" Super Bowl parties. One less day of advertisers buying premium time on your networks. Because it's not just the Super Bowl itself, it's all the programming building up to it.

I think I often said that my primary role at ESPN involved working on things that weren't in existence yet. Some of that includes mapping out different scenarios. We did this with all sports. What if the NBA season started two weeks later. What if we make the Indy 500 the first race of the season and move it to Monday. What if there was an extra round of MLB playoffs. What if the Super Bowl wasn't on Sunday. We mapped out many different scenarios yearly and in this case, the numbers wouldn't justify it.

[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

[los panda]

everybody wins with super bowl monday

[los panda]

(the holiday after the game on sunday)