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The national anthem’s length is always one of the most popular pregame Super Bowl prop bets. The OVER tends to hit often, as performers often showboat on the NFL’s biggest stage, but the 2024 anthem has bettors a bit agitated.
Reba McEntire had the mic, and it appeared that she went OVER after embellishing the end of the anthem.
However, a rule that some sportsbooks have in place nullified the final five seconds of McEntire’s performance and caused the UNDER to hit.
Here’s what to know about McEntire’s anthem performance, and why there will be chaos surrounding over/under anthem bets for 2024.
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How long did Reba McEntire sing the national anthem?
Reba McEntire’s rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl 58 lasted one minute and 35 seconds, unofficially.
The over/under for the anthem length was set at one minute and 31 seconds and most sportsbooks. As such, many believed that the OVER was the winning bet for the anthem length.
However, a rule established at certain sportsbooks caused McEntire’s anthem to hit the UNDER because of an extra embellishment she added to the end of her performance.
MORE: How Reba McEntire’s anthem performance compares to other in NFL history
Why Reba McEntire’s national anthem hit the UNDER at some sportsbooks
McEntire ended her national anthem performance by adding a common punctuation to it. She repeated the phrase “the brave” to finish her show with some flair.
You can see her repetition below at the end of the anthem, as provided by the NFL.
.@reba sings the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVIII! #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/yEQi89hYGg
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024
McEntire’s repeat proved consequential for bettors. Some sportsbooks — like BetMGM — consider the anthem to be over after the first utterance of “the brave” finishes. So, because the first “brave” was finished at the 1:30 mark of the performance, the UNDER hit.
National Anthem UNDER 90.5 seconds. ✅
2nd “brave” does not count. pic.twitter.com/OdVBzigETV
— John Ewing (@johnewing) February 11, 2024
The rule is not a new one. It first became a talking point when Gladys Knight added an extra “the brave” to her Super Bowl anthem performance in 2019. Again, the anthem length was teetering right on the over/under line, and some sportsbooks opted to pay out both sides of the bet because of the controversy.
Sportsbooks will face a similar situation with McEntire’s anthem. Even so, those that have the anthem ending after the first “brave” baked into their rules have the right to declare UNDER bettors the winner.
The official length will vary by sportsbook. That will certainly frustrate plenty of bettors who end up on the wrong side of this ruling.