MK Betzalel Smotritch (Hatzionut Hadatit) today commented on the fact that the soccer/football leagues in Israel all play their games on Shabbos, thus excluding many fans from going to or watching the games and enjoying the sport. Smotritch suggested moving league games to other days of the week to be inclusive of shomrei shabbos.
Interestingly, Smotritch's argument is not against chilul shabbos, but to include religious people who cant watch the games on Shabbos.
From what I have read in the past, games during the week (except for Thursday night) generally do not get great attendance. School and work nights are not conducive, it seems, for going to your favorite team's games.
I think the real solution that Smotritch should push for, since he raised the issue in the first place, is Sundays. Make Sunday a day off of work. Then religious people can do things on Sunday that they could not do on Shabbos - tiyulim, sports and many other activities. With Sunday being a workday, that is virtually impossible for most people, so Shabbos becomes the only day available (in addition to Thursday night to some extent). Sunday off would lower so much tension around Israel. People would not fight so much over Shabbos if they could do all those activities, or many of them, on Sunday. Make Sunday a non-work day and then the leagues playing on Sundays will attract many fans to the games.
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