It’s the most wonderful time of the year for degens – Christmas and New Year’s and your birthday all rolled into one. Super Bowl LIX (aka Super Bowl 59) goes down this Sunday evening from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it’s a rematch of Super Bowl LVII. That game was a barnburner, with the Kansas City Chiefs eking out a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. But this article isn’t about the actual game. No, we’re not talking about the game (or practice) – we’re talking about what precedes it – the national anthem. Here’s your guide to the Super Bowl 59 national anthem bets.
Super Bowl 59 National Anthem Bets
The NFL took some flak for getting Compton, California native Kendrick Lamar to perform the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday in New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome rather than a Big Easy native, such as Lil Wayne. However, they didn’t make the same mistake when lining up their national anthem performer for the big game – Jon Batiste. Batiste is just the latest in a long line of Batiste family musical powerhouses to come out of New Orleans – some 25+ musicians dating back to the 1930s.
Batiste is an all-around threat in the musical field – singer, songwriter, composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, and television performer – the man does it all. With a Grammy Award and Academy Award on his mantle, he’s halfway to the coveted EGOT status.
Which brings us to the gambling aspect of Sunday’s national anthem. The most common – and popular – play is betting on the length of the national anthem. This year the over/under is set at 119.5 seconds, way up from the 84.5 seconds last year’s originally opened at (country singer Reba McEntire ended up taking over 90 seconds to complete the anthem). The over is juiced this year, with you getting -130 for over 119.5 seconds and +100 for under.
Normally the Super Bowl anthem takes right around the two-minute mark to complete (shortest: Neil Diamond 1:02; longest: Alicia Keys 2:36). Batiste has done the anthem at two major events previously – the 2017 US Open (tennis), which ran 106 seconds, and the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, which took 89 seconds. So, the under is looking good for Sunday. However…..read on.
Make sure, if you can find out, how your book determines the official time they are using to pay out bets since there is no official timing of the anthem. If Batiste plays an intro instrumental before the anthem begins, does your book count that as part of the anthem length? And what is your book’s policy on any anthem leaks that may come out before the game? Will they void all bets?
Also, what if Batiste opts to not sing at all and instead just plays an instrumental version of the anthem, as he does in this YouTube clip, which is over three minutes long? You have to consider that possibility when making your bet.
But we’re true degens, so just betting on the length of the anthem isn’t enough for us. How about betting on whether or not Batiste will use a piano for his performance? You can bet on that, naturally, with Yes coming in a -400 (No pays out +290).
That’s not all. Do you think a coach or player will cry during the anthem? Yes is coming in a -670, No at +420. Will Batiste wear a hat? Will he screw up the anthem? What color will his outfit be? So many prop bets, so little bankroll.
Regardless of which of these fun plays you make, have fun with it, and don’t blow through that aforementioned bankroll.
