Super Bowl Sunday and Domestic Violence

For years it has been said that super bowl Sunday was the biggest day of domestic violence, but is there any truth to that?

Many people look forward to super bowl Sunday. Get the BBQ going, invite the friends, buy the beer and get ready to watch the most anticipated game on TV. Meanwhile, many fear it is the largest day for domestic violence. Is there any truth to it all?

Many people speculate it is a rumor. But how did it get started? In 1993 Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) had NBC Television run a public service announcement prior to the start of the Super Bowl broadcast. The announcement warned: "Domestic violence is a crime."

Later in an article by Laura Flanders headlined Super Bowl Success Sparks Good Ol' Boys' Backlash, the author talked about violence on Super Bowl, no hard core evidence could be produced. People then began to “assume” that domestic violence was a problem particularly during this sporting event.

Many resources stated that there has never been a solid study to confirm that it is the largest day for domestic violence. With privacy issues for women and children that are in or have been in shelters, it would be a hard study to conduct.

In 2003, researchers at the Indiana University, they decided to revisited the topic and concluded that domestic violence incidents do increase on Super Bowl Sunday. But, they added, domestic violence increases on all holidays as well. Since every holiday tested in the study except for Valentine's Day was a significant predictor of domestic violence, the Super Bowl reported here may be less of a football effect than that normally encountered with holidays.

What is important to remember is that holidays can create a rise in domestic violence and people involved with domestic violence should be aware of near by shelters and the help that is available to them.