According to a Harris Poll, prior to Super Bowl 50 in 2016, 10.5 million Americans requested or planned to request the a day off from work on the Monday following the Super Bowl, and as many as 16.5 million said they may take the day off. As a result of this tendency, many have called for the Monday after the Super Bowl to be a holiday, but based on when it has been held through the years, that already appears inevitable.
Back in 2008, when the NFL considered expanding the regular season to 18 games, owners also contemplated permanently moving the Super Bowl to the third Sunday in February. The benefit of that particular weekend is that Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day) is celebrated on the third Monday, which would give fans a national holiday on the day after most Super Bowls.
It has been 14 years since the Super Bowl was held in January and this year’s big game is being held on February 5. The chart below shows that the NFL may only be a few years away from the next surge forward. It is still a big leap from the first Sunday to the third Sunday, but at this point, it seems inevitable.
Here is a look at how late in the year the Super Bowl has been held since Super Bowl I, which was held on January 15, 1967.
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