Super Bowl should be played on Saturday (in non-COVID years)

[MU82]

Again though, you assume people wouldn't change their behavior to stay home and use the TV on Saturday if the Super Bowl was moved. I think they would.

It's kinda like the once-a-year shift in behavior and viewing habits that occurs on the first Thursday and Friday of the Dance. Tons of people change their habits by scheduling days off (or hiding in their offices doing 'paperwork') just to watch first round games.

And remember when MNF first aired, many expected it to be a flop because 'nobody would watch football on a Monday night.' The major networks were reluctant to try it, so Pete Rozelle even threatened to go to Howard Hughes' sports network. Only then did ABC ( a distant third in the ratings game back then) reluctantly agree to play ball. Needless to say, we learned that the assumption was wrong and Rozelle was right, because a scheduling change drove a huge (and unexpected) change in behavior.

Multiply these effects severalfold for the most popular TV show on earth, and you would see the same shift on Saturdays. Heck - it's even an easier change in habits, since it doesn't involve workday scheduling for most people.

Anyway, I get that many here disagree. But we'll never know for sure unless they try it.

I don’t disagree that people would happily watch a Saturday night Super Bowl.

But until there is a major shift in the importance of TV rating on Sunday nights (vs Saturdays), why would the league and its TV partners be motivated to change it?

“Oh sure, it’s the highest rated TV show every year. But trust me, it will be rated even higher on Saturday. And that’s really what the networks would prefer anyway; they just don’t know it.”

Sounds like a pretty tough sell, not to mention a solution in search of a problem that doesn’t exist.

[wadesworld]

Not only are there never any major sporting events set for Friday or Saturday, but prime time television shows are all Sunday-Thursday. Heck, hardly any quality college basketball is played on Friday nights. I’m guessing there have been plenty of studies out there done on this. There’s big money in TV rights.

[MU82]

The NBA used to have its Finals on a Wed-Fri-Sun schedule but changed to Tue-Thu-Sun to get games off of Fridays and onto Thursdays instead.

It wasn’t an accident.

As I said, I’m kind of surprised the Final Four isn’t a Sun-Tue event.

[GooooMarquette]

The NBA used to have its Finals on a Wed-Fri-Sun schedule but changed to Tue-Thu-Sun to get games off of Fridays and onto Thursdays instead.

It wasn’t an accident.

As I said, I’m kind of surprised the Final Four isn’t a Sun-Tue event.

Yes, but the NBA does not have the power to change TV viewing habits like the NFL does. The Monday night football experiment was a great case in point. Nobody thought people would watch football on a Monday night, but the NFL pushed it and the fans followed.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Yes, but the NBA does not have the power to change TV viewing habits like the NFL does. The Monday night football experiment was a great case in point. Nobody thought people would watch football on a Monday night, but the NFL pushed it and the fans followed.

Yes and maybe enough people would watch on a Saturday night to keep ratings stable. But maybe not. The NFL and the networks are not going to make that change just to find out.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yes and maybe enough people would watch on a Saturday night to keep ratings stable. But maybe not. The NFL and the networks are not going to make that change just to find out.

Right. Especially with the reason being so people can party it up more. The NFL doesn’t care about that.

[warriorchick]

And the Super Bowl should start at 10am CST too!

I am old enough to remember when people served brunch at their Super Bowl parties.

[Galway Eagle]

I am old enough to remember when people served brunch at their Super Bowl parties.

Was that a southern thing? I've actually never heard this before

[tower912]

Talk about making the Monday after the Super Bowl a holiday.    For exactly the reasons I think the game should be played on Saturday.

https://fansided.com/2021/02/07/super-bowl-national-holiday-2021/

And yes, one more game or bye week gets the game to next weekend and having the game on the day before President's day.   

[GooooMarquette]

Was that a southern thing? I've actually never heard this before

I grew up in Milwaukee, and my family did this back in the 70s....

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

In the 70s, Super Bowls kicked off in the early afternoon.  Around 2:00 or 3:00 if memory recalls.

[GooooMarquette]

In the 70s, Super Bowls kicked off in the early afternoon.  Around 2:00 or 3:00 if memory recalls.

Yep. Sometimes as early as 1:00 in the Central time zone. Digging through box scores....

1970 (SB IV): 2:40 Central
1971 (SB V): 1:00 Central
1972 (SB VI): 1:35 Central
1973 (SB VII): 2:49 Central
1974 (SB VIII): 2:30 Central
1975 (SB IX): 2:00 Central
1976 (SB X): 1:14 Central
1977 (SB XI): 2:47 Central
1978 (SB XII): 5:17 Central
1979 (SB XIII): 3:15 Central

Several of these were late morning games on the West coast.

[warriorchick]

Was that a southern thing? I've actually never heard this before

It was because the Super Bowl was aired much earlier in the day.

[Herman Cain]

The NFL essentially is holding its annual convention for corporate partners during Super Bowl weekend. That is what the vast majority of the people in attendance are there for.

There are two full days of corporate outings and schmoozing. Then on Sunday morning the various advertising partners have meetings with their customers where they present some of their strategic thinking, new products, promotional items etc. This Sunday morning meeting enables these entities to declare a business purpose for the whole event.   The Sponsors get maximum attendance from the captive audience at the meetings, because they mandate that you need to be at the meeting to receive the ticket to the game.  The attendees then get in corporate buses and go to the super bowl party for more entertaining . Then there is an after game party at the hotel. Everyone packs up all their gifts and leaves on  Monday morning.

I have been to 7 Super Bowls as guests of  various different major corporations and that format has not deviated for at least 30 years. The Missus went to another ten or so where her employer was a sponsor.

I actually agree with the opening post that it would be better for the general public if the game was on a Saturday night, or even earlier in the day on Sunday. However, the entertainment and business logistics of game at the actual event site mandate is what mandates the current schedule.