It’s a real political football – fans in Tennessee may avoid having to call in sick on Super Bowl Monday if two legislators get their way.
A bill introduced by Democratic state Sen. London Lamar and Rep. Joe Towns Jr. this week calls for replacing Columbus Day with the day after the Super Bowl as an official state holiday.
“In the upcoming final version of the bill, we won’t be replacing any other holidays,” Rep. Towns said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “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 it’s becoming more and more the norm to miss work the next day. So maybe we should just codify it…or at least just talk about it.”
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are set to square off in Super Bowl 2023 in Arizona on Feb. 12.
The bill will need bipartisan support. Republicans dominate the state legislature. It will also aim to take effect next year, as the process for passing into state law is a long and arduous one in Tennessee.
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