Every year, millions of Americans call out "sick" the day after the Super Bowl, and it costs employers roughly $3 billion. While many people have supported a movement to make the Monday following the Super Bowl a national holiday, one teenager from New York has a different idea. 16-year-old Frankie Ruggeri wants to move the Super Bowl to Saturday, giving everybody a day to recover before they have to head back to school or the office.
He told CNN he was talking about football with his parents when he suggested moving the game to Saturday.
"Why not have a kid say, 'How about the Super Bowl be on a Saturday?'" the high school junior said.
He started a Change.org petition and it quickly went viral. As of Thursday (January 23) morning, the petition was nearing in on 20,000 signatures. Frankie believes that moving the game to Saturday will not only result in fewer Americans calling out sick from work or school, it will also help the NFL. He believes that more people would tune in and watch the game, and more fans would be willing to travel to whichever city is hosting the Big Game.
"I'd like for the Super Bowl to be on Saturdays because schools are not open the next day, no school the next morning, no work," the teen told WSYR. "Might as well make it Saturday."
The NFL has not commented on Ruggeri's petition, and in the past, the league has resisted calls for moving the Super Bowl to Saturday.
This year, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in Miami on Sunday, February 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.