Tennessee Lawmakers Propose Making Super Bowl Monday a State Holiday

A number of candidates to replace Columbus Day on American states’ and cities’ holiday calendars have sprung up in recent years. One suggestion, however, is particularly friendly to sports fans.

This week, two Tennessee state legislators — Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) and Rep. Joe Towns Jr. (D-Memphis) — introduced language that would replace the Volunteer State's Columbus Day holiday with a new holiday the first Monday after the Super Bowl, and would enshrine the change in state law.

The holiday proposed by Tennessee House Bill 1463 and Senate Bill 1344 would be formally named "Super Bowl Monday."

The full text of the bill is: "Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 15-1-101, is amended by deleting the language 'the second Monday in October, known as 'Columbus Day';' and by inserting the language 'the first Monday after the Super Bowl, known as 'Super Bowl Monday';' immediately following the language ''Washington Day';'

No holiday observing the Super Bowl currently exists in the United States, although the NFL regularly plays games on holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year’s Eve and Day.