Who doesn’t like a day off to go watch baseball? The sun on my face, (too many) hot dogs, the classic seventh-inning stretch and watching the Cubs lose are some of my favorite things. Simply put, baseball is my favorite sport and always has been. It’s timeless and classic. But that doesn’t mean it merits a national holiday.
Earlier this week, Hall of Famer and former Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith and Budweiser began petitioning the White House to make baseball’s opening day a national holiday. The petition on the White House website states that Smith and Budweiser want you to join them in their “quest to make sure every American can exercise their inalienable right to celebrate the day those two magical words are uttered for the first time: ‘play ball!'”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure our constitutional rights don’t include the attendance of baseball games and the consumption of Cracker Jacks. The government’s job isn’t to create frou-frou holidays; they have much bigger problems on their hands. But with 100,000 signatures on the petition within only a couple of days, the government is legally required to respond to the petition.
I think an extra day off would be amazing, but I just can’t validate it. And besides, we’d probably have to go to school anyway since we don’t even get the day off for President’s Day.
Think about what our national holidays are: Independence Day, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving are days that hold historical importance. The roots of baseball aren’t even American — they’re English. If we gave baseball its own holiday, I can only imagine what would follow. Soon someone will be petitioning for national holidays for each member of One Direction’s birthdays and one for the Women’s Professional Softball League opening day (equal rights for baseball and softball, right?)
If baseball is your passion and opening day is the highlight of your spring, then take a vacation day. There’s no reason your boss should have to pay you for a day of relaxing in the bleachers unless you make an independent decision to take a day off.
I love baseball, and I love that it’s an American tradition. But let’s keep it at that – a tradition, not a holiday.
