Florida ranks in top 10 states where employees would play hooky to go to a sports game

Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

Have you ever called out sick from work to attend or watch something fun, like a concert or a sports game? Are you the kind of football fan that argues the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a day off?

Online sports gambling company Betway conducted a national survey to find which sports events people in each state have called out sick for, which states are guilty of this the most and which life events respondents were willing to miss to watch an important game.

And Florida ranked in the Top 10 states that call out of work for sports events the most.

Here’s where Florida ranked on Betway’s "Top 10 states most likely to play hooky" list, which state’s residents are most likely to call out sick in the name of sports and what other events respondents said they’d skip to watch a big game.

What is the best excuse for missing work?

It depends on who you ask, but for sports fans in a few states, a big sports game is reason enough to call out “sick.”

According to Betway’s rankings list, Utah is home to the most sports fans that would miss work to watch or go to a sports game. Several states tied for fourth place and two states tied for seventh. Florida slid in at the bottom of the Top 10 list, tying with Tennessee for seventh place.

Here’s Betway’s list of the states where employees have called out of work for sports games the most:

  1. Utah

  2. Colorado

  3. Maryland

  4. South Carolina, California, Texas

  5. Kansas

  6. Illinois

  7. Florida, Tennessee

Here are some other key findings from the survey:

  • 57% of Americans surveyed say they’ve called out sick to watch a sports game.

  • 48% of those surveyed admitted they’ve called out sick because of the Super Bowl, specifically.

  • 17% of respondents who have called out sick from work have been fired for it

  • Utah is the state that skips work to watch sports the most, with 78% of respondents here admitting they’ve done this.

  • In Kansas, 50% of respondents said they got into trouble at work — or got fired — for calling out sick to watch a sports game

  • About 57% of the U.S. employees surveyed admitted to calling in sick to watch a sporting event, with the Super Bowl being the most popular event people skip work

Do people call in sick after the Super Bowl?

Unsurprisingly, Betway’s survey results found the most popular sporting event to call out of work to watch or attend is the Super Bowl.

Here’s Betway’s list of the most popular sports events people call out of work to watch or go to:

  1. The Super Bowl

  2. A football game (excluding the Super Bowl)

  3. The NBA finals game

  4. A basketball game (excluding the finals)

  5. A baseball game (excluding the World Series Championship), The World Series Championship

  6. The Olympics, March Madness finals

  7. A Nascar race

  8. A hockey game (excluding the Stanley Cup Finals)

But work isn’t the only commitment Americans are willing to skip in favor of a good game, according to Betway’s survey.

Here’s Betway’s list of the other events Americans are most likely to miss due to a sports game:

  1. A family gathering

  2. A birthday party

  3. Thanksgiving celebrations

  4. Easter celebrations, Christmas celebrations

  5. A vacation

  6. An anniversary

  7. The birth of their child, a funeral

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida ranks in top 10 states for calling out of work for a sports game

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