Start refreshing your knowledge of roman numerals because Super Bowl Sunday 2023 is less than one month away!
For football fans, the first (or second) Sunday in February is practically a holiday: people gather in large numbers at parties planned months in advance and hours are spent preparing chicken wings, seven-layer dips, sliders, mini meatballs, pigs in a blanket—you name it—so you won’t need to worry about going home hungry.
Tradition and celebration aside, over the last few decades concern has grown regarding the correlation between Super Bowl Sunday and an increase in prostitution or sex trafficking, particularly in the host city for the big game. Further, the media continuously depicts the Super Bowl weekend as a short period of time where prostitution numbers skyrocket. But is there any merit to these claims? The answer is in the negative.
There continues to be no evidence to support a relationship between the Super Bowl and rise in prostitution numbers. Prostitution exists year-round, and contrary to common belief, it is not unique to specific events. In the months leading up to the 2018 Super Bowl held in Minneapolis, students and faculty at the University of Minnesota reviewed scholarly evidence about this myth. As it turned out, empirical data revealed that although there may temporarily be an increase in online ads for commercial sex, the Super Bowl does not have a notable impact on prostitution or commercial sex numbers.
Myth or not, prostitution is still a crime in Minnesota. If you or someone you know is charged with a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, give us a call at 763.421.6366 and one of our experienced attorneys can help.