What Happens if You Flush the Toilet During Super Bowl Halftime?

by NowPublic Staff | February 5, 2012 at 10:38 am

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'US Sewer System Can't Handle Super Bowl Halftime Flush': Urban Myth

We just heard an urban legend: "the US sewer system would overload if everyone watching the Super Bowl flushed their toilets during halftime". Approximately 119 million people in the US will be watching Super Bowl 2012, so that's a lot of digested nachos, wings, hot dogs, and beer making their way down our great nation's lavatories.

However, this urban legend is bogus. While a water main in Salt Lake City broke during the 1984 Super Bowl, there's no indication that a spike in flushes was involved.

America's sewer systems can indeed handle halftime flushes. The only risk you face is in the pipes of your house or apartment: don't flush the opposing team's mascot in some twisted voodoo ritual, and don't ram too much stuff down the garbage disposal.

Besides, it's not as if the nation's football fans just hold it in until halftime: there are four quarters, as well as a break in play every few seconds. Football has more bathroom break opportunities than any other sport in the rugby-football family.

Maybe there's a talismanic element to the "don't flush at halftime" idea, sort of like wearing lucky underwear or something.

Whatever the evolution of this myth, it's just that: a myth. The only thing that happens if you flush the toilet during Super Bowl halftime is that the toilet flushes. Oh, and you'll be missing the Madonna halftime show and some of the Super Bowl commercials.

Also, domestic-violence incidents don't spike on Super Bowl Sunday, and the week before the Super Bowl is not the Black Friday of avocado sales.

However, traffic accidents really do increase in the hours following the Super Bowl.