Missing Work for Sports

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There is some talk with the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament that some people skip work for a couple of days to watch.

I can honestly say that I've never called off from any job that I've actually cared about to watch a sporting event - so that means I haven't missed a day for something sports related in well over a decade.

The question is, have you ever done so and for which sporting event? Also which sporting events would you consider calling off for?

As to the latter, the only one I could think of would be the Super Bowl of Conference Championship games, but because those occur on a Sunday, it is unlikely I'd ever have to.

 

I took a vacation day to go to Wrigley Field for a game, but I've never just "missed work" or called in sick.

 

My uncle tried to be a professional darts player, work decided to cancel his booked holiday at the last minute so he developed something contagious

He then ended up missing his call because he was in the bar and the speaker in there was broken

 

I have. Sort of. I have no-showed at work the day after an Eagles game. Several times. So, I didn't miss work to go to a game, but because I was at a game. Of course we were tailgating from 7 am to 1 AM on Monday Nighters. Beer, Delicous Philly Cheesesteaks and Soft Pretzels. Good times.

 

I have. I took 5 days off to watch a test cricket match once. Awesome way to spend five days.

I'll also often take a day off if I am running a marathon or similar event the day before or after. But that's taking time off work to participate rather than watch sport.

 

I've done it once to see the Swedish handball final two years ago. I found it justified because it was several of my old teammates and friends playing and they had never reached the finals before.

 

I've never called in sick but when I was younger I'd make sure to arrange to be off to go to hurling matches. Since I started office jobs I'm always free at the weekend anyway though. If we made the All Ireland final I'd book the next day off and leave notice not to expect me in for the week if we win. I don't think my employer will ever have to worry about that though .

 

When I'm hurling I don't go to work either.

 

Super bowl is on Monday in Europe. One has a calendar and days off so there is no need to just call in sick.

 

Just to be clear - I suppose scheduling a day off counts. You don't have to come down with a mysterious illness on game day.

I still cannot believe that cricket matches take days to complete. I also was surprised at the number of serious injuries (and sometimes death) caused by players getting hit by the the ball. (And people thing rugby and football is dangerous!)

 

Huh? I am only aware of two deaths in the approximately 300 year recorded history of cricket, compared to at least 850 in baseball in the USA alone (according to the book Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities, 1862-2007)

 

I should have said "rarely" instead of sometimes. I was refering more to anecdotal evidence - I heard it was not at all unusual for the ball to be hit directly back at the person who throws it (sort of the equivalent to the pitcher position in baseball - don't know what it's called in cricket), and being injured when struck. I was led to believe this was not an odd occurance.

 

Serious injury from the impact of a cricket ball is not very common. Cricketers are always getting injured, but it's usually hamstrings from trying to sprint a run, or back strain from trying to bowl too fast too often. The most common impact injury might be a dislocated finger if you didn't catch the ball properly and it hit the ends of your fingers.

But as for a bowler getting hit by the ball after the batsman hits it back to him? I can think of very very few occasions that I have ever seen that happen.

The person most in the firing line for ball related injuries is the batsman, but they all wear pads, gloves, and helmets these days, like a streamlined version of a hockey goalkeeper, so they reasonably safe.

I played cricket for years and the worst injury I ever got was a sprained ankle from stepping on a piece of uneven ground in the outfield.

 

Missing work for sports? No, I've never done that and doubt that I ever would. Sports have never excited me enough to care about them beyond the occassional social opportunity watching a game with friends creates. I don't follow any particular player, or any particular team, or any particular sport, at all. My wife never has to worry about me yelling at the TV on weekends, because I'd be more likely to engage in underwater basket weaving than sit at home and watch a game by myself. Am I a weirdo because of this?

Possible rare exceptions to this? Ahhhh, none I guess. I think watched part of a boxing match a few years ago, but I'm not sure that counts.

 

I've never taken a day off to watch or attend an event, but I have extended a vacation by a day when I was involved in a shoot-off at a trap shoot that went longer than expected.

 

I'd also never do that. I'd come earlier and finish earlier so I could watch a particular game though, if work and boss allow, but rarely so. I save being sick for the few (*knock on wood*) days I truly am sick.

Though, and only slightly related, with my last employer I used to have an agreement that I could come to work later on three days so I could go running in the morning. That employer was rather fair in that regard.