There’s no shortage of potential prop bets when it comes to the Super Bowl, and perhaps the most famous non-game-related prop is the over/under on the length of the national anthem. It’s unclear how many people actually bet this, but it’s always a topic of conversation (at least among people who pretend to know a lot about gambling). Country singer Mickey Guyton will sing the Star Spangled Banner before Super Bowl 56, and you might be surprise by some of the betting opportunities that will accompany her performance.
Before we get into the specific props for this year’s anthem, it’s worth knowing a little history. What’s now considered the premier anthem opportunity for a singer wasn’t always a focal point of the Super Bowl’s pre-game festivities. In the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, the anthem was often sung by choirs or performed by marching bands and trumpeters — and it wasn’t even performed at all in ’77, as “America the Beautiful” was sung instead. Whitney Houston’s show-stopping rendition during Super Bowl 25 in ’91, which occurred during the Gulf War, in many ways ushered in a new era of anthem performances.
Counting that performance, which lasted 1:56, the average length of the anthem from 1991-2020 was just over 1:56. Last year’s duet from Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan upped that mark after lasting 2:17, which was the third-longest rendition in the past 15 years. The longest version since ’91 came at Super Bowl 47 in ’13 (Alicia Keys, 2:35) and the shortest was at Super Bowl 32 in 1998 (Jewel, 1:27). In recent years, the anthem has trended even longer, with seven of the past nine renditions taking over two minutes and the other two lasting at least 1:49.
We just threw a lot of numbers at you, but the bottom line is these performers are in front of the biggest audience of their lives, and they undoubtedly want to make the most of their moment in the spotlight. Can you blame them?
Of course, it’s not just questionable pass interference penalties or missed holding calls that cause controversy at the Super Bowl. As with many of the novelty prop bets, the length of anthem performances has been the subject of debate. Most books list the official start of the anthem time when the first note is sung. Makes sense, right? However, when is the official end? For many books, the official end is when the beginning of the last note is sung.
That caused major headaches for some in 2019 when Gladys Knight sang “brave,” the last word of the anthem, three different times, causing many to think they won the OVER on the bet. However, most books only counted the beginning of the first “brave,” which meant the UNDER cashed. You can bet that mattered to way more people than it should’ve.
Let that cautionary tale serve as a reminder: When placing your bets — especially on ridiculous, arbitrary things like the length of a song — make sure you know the official rules. Or, you know, just don’t bet at all, but where’s the fun in that?
All odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Super Bowl national anthem prop bets 2022
How long will the national anthem run?
- Over 95 seconds -120
- Under 95 seconds -120
Based on all the recent anthem trends, this screams OVER. However, when Guyton performed the anthem this year for the National Memorial Day Concert, she clocked in at just 76 seconds. Uh-oh.
But wait! There’s also video of her singing the anthem at the Country Radio Seminar in 2015. The very beginning of her performance is cut off (it starts when she’s singing “dawn’s early light”), but it lasts 81 seconds. Chances are, it didn’t take her 14 seconds to sing “O say can you see, by the…” but still — gettin’ closer.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much more to go on here. Guyton’s history says she’ll go UNDER; Super Bowl anthem history says bet on the OVER. Even if you bank on her milking things a bit for the big game, she could still go UNDER. Ultimately, we’re going to trust the historical trends here and put our money on the OVER.
Will Mickey Guyton forget/omit a word from the national anthem?
- Yes +625
- No -1300
Obviously, it’s much more fun to bet on “yes” here. Not only is there a chance for a bigger payout, but you also can try to claim any slight slurring of a word. Imagine arguing with an online sportsbook over that:
You: “She said ‘gallonly.’ There was no ‘t’ sound. Listen again.”
Sportsbook: “Sir, this is the fifth time you called today. ‘Gallonly’ isn’t a word –“
You: “Exactly! That’s my point!”
Sportsbook: “Look, you lost the bet. You know you lost the bet. Just accept you lost the bet. Plus, you only wagered $5 to begin with. You shouldn’t care this much. If you promise to never contact us again, we’ll take you off our email and call list, which will make you the first person an online sportsbook don’t contact obsessively about depositing more money. Consider that a win and just leave us alone.”
See, now that’s a fun way to spend your Valentine’s Day.
Obviously, Guyton is highly unlikely to leave out a word. She’s probably been practicing around the clock for the past couple weeks. The “no” seems like free money, though it will cost you a lot to win anything worth your time. However, if you want to live dangerously, go ahead and sprinkle a little money on “yes” and hope for a lovely, talented young woman to be embarrassed in front of 100 million people.
Color of Mickey Guyton’s outfit during the anthem?
- White +250
- Yellow/Gold +300
- Blue +400
- Black +500
- Gray/Silver +500
- Red +900
- Purple +900
- Pink +1000
- Green +1400
- Orange +1400
Guyton wore a yellow dress when she performed the anthem at the National Memorial Day Concert last May, and she was decked out in red at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. Purple was her color of choice at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, and despite arriving in a sparkly cream-colored dress for last year’s American Music Awards, she performed in a black/gray outfit.
So…we have no idea, and if you spend even five minutes trying to analyze this like we just did, you’re wasting your life. Pick a color — any color — and hope for the best.
Number of planes during flyover?
- Over 5 -120
- Under 5 -120
This one is a bit confusing, as the military and the NFL have stated plans to have five planes fly over the stadium during the anthem. So, unless you think problems will arise and one of the planes will be grounded (very unlikely) or there’s going to be a surprise sixth plane (hmm), this one is a sure push. Still, seems odd it’s even being offered, doesn’t it? It’s almost as if someone knows something…
Nah, it’s gonna be five.
Will any scoring drive take less time than it takes to sing the national anthem?
- Yes -250
- No +185
This prop jumps out as an obvious “Yes,” but when you remember the anthem will likely be around 1:40 (at the longest) this year, maybe it’s worth rethinking.
The most likely time for a 90-second scoring drive is at the end of the second and fourth quarters, depending on game situation. Of course, there are other possibilities (return TD, short field after a turnover/long return, long TD), so you have plenty of outs if you take “Yes,” but getting plus odds on “No” is nice. There are also plenty of situations where teams won’t necessarily be trying to score quickly at the end of halves, especially in a game that figures to be as competitive as this one.
Ultimately, we still like “Yes.” There are big-play guys on both offenses (and defenses), and we know both QBs can lead quick scoring drives. It’s worth noting that if you like the UNDER for the anthem time, it’s not a bad idea to parlay it with “No” here.
Which player will be shown first during the national anthem?
- Joe Burrow -130
- Matthew Stafford -110
Stafford was the first player shown during the anthem at the NFC Championship game; Burrow was the first player shown at the AFC Championship game. So, that doesn’t help us at all.
At this point, Burrow is a slightly bigger “story” than Stafford, so that’s likely why he’s the favorite here, but you can make a compelling argument for Stafford to be shown first since the Rams are playing “at home.” Ultimately, this is pretty much a coin flip, so trust your gut…or just flip a coin.
Which player will be shown first during the national anthem?
- Cooper Kupp -150
- Ja’Marr Chase +110
Kupp was the fourth player shown at the NFC Championship game and third on his team behind Stafford and Aaron Donald, so you know he’s going to be cut to fairly early. Chase wasn’t shown at all, but to be fair, CBS didn’t show many individual players at all during the AFC Championship game (Burrow, the back of Patrick Mahomes, a side view of Travis Kelce), so that doesn’t necessarily mean much as we try to guess what the NBC cameras are going to do.
Kupp is the favorite for a reason, but getting plus money to take a chance on Chase feels like a smarter gamble.
Which coach to be shown first during the national anthem?
- Sean McVay -150
- Zac Taylor +110
The analysis here is similar to the Kupp/Chase breakdown above. McVay is certainly the more well-known coach, but it’s possible NBC has a plan to focus on Bengals first. McVay was shown before San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan during the anthem at the NFC Championship game, so that’s something, but this is another guess.
We feel more confident about McVay being shown first than we do Kupp, so perhaps you can split the difference and take the favorite here and try for the underdog with the wide receivers. You could also just avoid these bets altogether and put all your chips in the table on the color of Guyton’s dress. Either way — money well spent.