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Which Event Causes More Sick Days: The Super Bowl or The Oscars?
As February rolls around, many look forward to two major events: the Super Bowl and the Oscars. While the flu season may still be a concern, so too is a phenomenon known as “playing hooky.” With the excitement of these two late-night Sunday events, we took a closer look at data trends to determine which occasion prompts more people to call in sick the following day.
Our analysis reveals a clear winner: the Super Bowl has a much greater impact on sick call rates than the Oscars.
Comparison of Sick Days: Super Bowl vs. Oscars
- Interest in calling in sick surged on Super Bowl Sunday, well above the typical Sunday average.
- Sick days spiked throughout the week following the Super Bowl.
- The Super Bowl resulted in a staggering 140% more “sick days” than the Oscars.
- With nearly 100 million viewers according to Nielsen, the Super Bowl dwarfed the Oscars’ audience of under 30 million, suggesting the latter was at a disadvantage.
- Both events wrapped up before 11 PM CST; a longer game or additional speeches might have further influenced sick day numbers.
How We Analyzed the Data
To gather insights, we reviewed web traffic patterns from our article on Tips for Calling In Sick – Even When You’re Not. Our focus was on visitor trends throughout February, specifically looking at searches like “how to call in sick” and “fake calling in sick.” These searches indicate a desire to take time off work, often for less-than-legitimate reasons.
While traffic can fluctuate due to changes in Google rankings, this article consistently ranked well during February, lending credibility to our findings. An increase in traffic suggests a rise in sick day calls.
Below is a graph illustrating the traffic for this article throughout February:
As demonstrated, the Super Bowl on February 2nd generated significantly more traffic than the Oscars on February 9th. The Monday following the Super Bowl saw 288 sessions, overshadowing the Oscars’ Monday traffic, which barely reached 300 sessions.
The traffic pattern for this article typically peaks on Mondays and declines throughout the week, reinforcing the Super Bowl’s status as the event that inspires the most “sick days.”
The Super Bowl: The Clear Winner for Sick Day Calls
Perhaps Oscar watch parties lack the excitement of Super Bowl gatherings. Or maybe Kansas City fans felt the need to celebrate a Chiefs victory by taking a day off. Regardless, the Super Bowl remains a more significant television event than the Oscars, leading to a higher likelihood of people calling in sick. This supports the popular phrase “Super Sick Monday.”
Our advice? If you plan to indulge during the Super Bowl, consider taking the day off in advance. Alternatively, start preparing your excuse ahead of time to ensure a smooth call-in.
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
