I believe the Super Bowl could be played on a Tuesday night in my living room and end up being the top ranked show of the year (well, unless Kim Kardashian decides to convert to Christianity to be immediately followed by a marriage to Tim Tebow in a service where Oprah Winfrey and Katharine Hepburn are the bridesmaids and Tiger Woods and Tom Hanks are the groomsmen; Samuel L. Jackson would be in attendance as the production would be overseen by a committee of Spielberg, Cameron, and the ghost of Walt Disney; The ceremony would be performed by Rick Warren). Assuming that the far-fetched example I gave will not happen, the Super Bowl is safely entrenched as the number one show in America.
So, the Super Bowl only needs to consider internal factors to determine when to have it. First thing that the league will consider (though it would have no impact on the ratings) is the quality of the game. Having 13 days between games is essentially similar to 14. It is true that teams playing with only 6 days rest are not as sharp as teams on 7, so as long as there is an off week between the Conference Championship games (as there has been in all but 6 Super Bowls) the quality of the game would not be substantially harmed.
The next thing about which the league would worry is the ability of people to get to the game. Since most NFL games are on Sunday, it may seem logical that Sunday would be an easier day on which to host a game. If that logic were extrapolated, then the game would be at 1 PM, as that is when most of the games are played. Further, the Super Bowl is such a different crowd from a regular season game, that the normal tailgating flow and normal stadium personnel are replaced by an environment of a week-long party and three times the workers. People can get to a predetermined location for a Saturday evening in plenty of time. Even someone who works until quitting time on Friday, can catch a late flight and get to the stadium in plenty of time to enjoy the party Saturday before kickoff.
On the other hand, we've all been to parties that just last a little too long. Since sports radio shows relocate for an entire week, the Saturday seems like a crescendo and things are already winding down before the game starts Sunday evening. How much better would it be if the crescendo of Saturday led into the game, people were able to stick around just a little bit longer and Sunday could be the calming down period talking about the greatness of the game that has already happened? As I review my life (and I am confident that if you review yours it would be the same), I see that almost every big party or event I've been to is on a Saturday. It just makes more sense. Sunday being a day of rest for most people, it allows them to recover before getting back to the work week, while a Sunday evening does not.
Consider, that attendance and productivity has to be down on Monday, the day after the Super Bowl. Attendance is back up Tuesday, but the productivity of those who came Monday is dipping. It takes until at least Wednesday for everyone to recover, and probably the next week for productivity to return. On the contrary, a big event on Saturday allows everyone who doesn't work until Monday to be closer to full productivity. This is why historic boxing matches were always on Saturday night. This is why major events gear for a Saturday night. This is why Bon Jovi made a song entitled "Saturday Night." Saturday nights just work better with the flow of a traditional work week.
Lest you ask why the NFL cares about a traditional work week, the reality is that the different crowd for the Super Bowl is mostly corporate people. People who either make enough money to shell out and buy tickets or people who are important enough for their company to do so are not typically your third shift workers. The fact that corporate America does so much to make the Super Bowl what it is makes the push for a Saturday Super Bowl inevitable.
So while watching TV sitcoms reference their characters working at nearby Super Bowls, think that the dynamic of the Super Bowl may soon change. It is my belief that the Super Bowl should be on Saturday, not Sunday, and I think it is just a matter of time before it happens!
ah, Bon Jovi.
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