The Super Bowl and betting have practically become synonymous, with over 200 million total viewers each year and sports betting now legal in some capacity in 36 U.S. states. We have gone over our best bets and discussed our expert spread, moneyline, and over/under picks for Super Bowl 57. We have also covered the top player and game props for both the Eagles and Chiefs. We even covered the halftime show props and crazy exotics like coin toss and Gatorade color. Perhaps the most popular novelty prop is the length of the National Anthem, which will be performed in 2023 by country star Chris Stapleton.
‘Exotic’ or ‘novelty’ props are ones you can bet on that may or may not have anything to do with the actual game. Naturally, the biggest individual sporting event in the US generates a ton of exotic bets. In fact, the over/under on the Star-Spangled Banner has arguably become just as much a talking point as Super Bowl squares and the halftime show props. For fans of the 30 teams not participating in Super Bowl 57 — and even more so for the fair-weathers who might not even regularly watch football — prop contests make Super Bowl parties much more interesting before, during, and after the big game.
Stapleton is perhaps the most famous recording artist to tackle the anthem since Pink in Super Bowl 52 and Lady Gaga in Super Bowl 50. Known for his southern-rock ballad “Tennessee Whiskey,” Stapleton boasts a deep, powerful voice that should put goosebumps on plenty of fans whether in-person at State Farm Stadium, out at a bar, or watching from home.
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. Then in 2021, the duet from Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan upped that mark after lasting 2:16, the fourth-longest rendition in Super Bowl history. 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. Take a look at the history of National Anthem singers through the years:
Super Bowl National Anthem: Performers, Lengths, and Over/Under Betting Results
| Super Bowl | Performer | Anthem O/U | Anthem Length | O/U |
| 57 | Chris Stapleton | 01:59 | TBD | TBD |
| 56 | Mickey Guyton | 01:35 | 01:55 | Over |
| 55 | Jazmine Sullivan & Eric Church | 01:59 | 02:16 | Over |
| 54 | Demi Lovato | 01:55 | 01:49 | Under |
| 53 | Gladys Knight | 01:47 | 02:01 | Over |
| 52 | Pink | 02:00 | 01:52 | Under |
| 51 | Luke Bryan | 02:09 | 02:04 | Under |
| 50 | Lady Gaga | 02:22 | 02:22 | Push |
| 49 | Idina Menzel | 02:02 | 02:04 | Over |
| 48 | Renee Fleming | 02:23 | 02:03 | Under |
| 47 | Alicia Keys | 02:15 | 02:36 | Over |
| 46 | Kelly Clarkson | 01:34 | 01:34 | Push |
| 45 | Christina Aguilera | 01:54 | 01:53 | Under |
| 44 | Carrie Underwood | 01:41 | 01:47 | Over |
| 43 | Jennifer Hudson | 02:04 | 02:10 | Over |
| 42 | Jordin Sparks | 01:47 | 01:54 | Over |
| 41 | Billy Joel | 01:44 | 01:30 | Under |
| 40 | Aaron Neville & Aretha Franklin | N/A | 02:09 | N/A |
| 39 | Choirs of US Military Academies | N/A | 01:53 | N/A |
| 38 | Beyonce | N/A | 02:09 | N/A |
| 37 | The Chicks | N/A | 01:33 | N/A |
| 36 | Mariah Carey | N/A | 01:56 | N/A |
| 35 | Backstreet Boys | N/A | 01:49 | N/A |
| 34 | Faith Hill | N/A | 02:00 | N/A |
| 33 | Cher | N/A | 01:55 | N/A |
| 32 | Jewel | N/A | 01:27 | N/A |
| 31 | Luther Vandross | N/A | 01:53 | N/A |
| 30 | Vanessa Williams | N/A | 01:35 | N/A |
| 29 | Kathie Lee Gifford | N/A | 01:40 | N/A |
| 28 | Natalie Cole | N/A | 02:33 | N/A |
| 27 | Garth Brooks | N/A | 01:45 | N/A |
| 26 | Harry Connick Jr | N/A | 02:06 | N/A |
| 25 | Whitney Houston | N/A | 01:56 | N/A |
| 24 | Aaron Neville | N/A | 01:25 | N/A |
| 23 | Billy Joel | N/A | 01:26 | N/A |
| 22 | Herb Alpert (on trumpet) | N/A | 01:34 | N/A |
| 21 | Neil Diamond | N/A | 01:02 | N/A |
| 20 | Wynton Marsalis (on trumpet) | N/A | 01:22 | N/A |
| 19 | San Francisco Boys and Girls Choirs | N/A | 01:21 | N/A |
| 18 | Barry Manilow | N/A | 01:34 | N/A |
| 17 | Leslie Easterbrook | N/A | 01:33 | N/A |
| 16 | Diana Ross | N/A | 01:38 | N/A |
| 15 | Helen O’Connell | N/A | 01:22 | N/A |
| 14 | Cheryl Ladd | N/A | 01:18 | N/A |
| 13 | The Colgate Thirteen | N/A | 01:19 | N/A |
| 12 | Phyllis Kelly | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 11 | NONE | N/A | NONE | N/A |
| 10 | Tom Sullivan | N/A | 01:54 | N/A |
| 9 | New Orleans Chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America | N/A | 01:22 | N/A |
| 8 | Charley Pride | N/A | 01:10 | N/A |
| 7 | Little Angels of Chicago’s Holy Angels Church | N/A | 01:12 | N/A |
| 6 | US Air Force Academy Chorale | N/A | 01:10 | N/A |
| 5 | Tommy Loy (on the trumpet) | N/A | 01:13 | N/A |
| 4 | Doc Severinsen (on the trumpet) and Pat O’Brien (spoken) | N/A | 01:26 | N/A |
| 3 | Lloyd Geisler (on the trumpet) | N/A | 01:27 | N/A |
| 2 | GSU Tiger Marching Band | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1 | The Pride of Arizona, Michigan Marching Band & UCLA Choir | N/A | 01:16 | N/A |
Don’t get overwhelmed — this is just reference material! The bottom line: the National Anthem has become more than just an artist’s chance to honor our country. It’s also a chance for them to make the anthem their own and leave an indelible memory on an unprecedented amount of viewers all over the world. In many ways, singing the Star-Spangled Banner at any sports event — never mind the Super Bowl — can help make or break a music artist’s legacy.
That’s why we saw legendary singers like Keys, Gaga, and Natalie Cole hold notes longer than usual throughout the years. Not only are they all unbelievably talented singers, but they are also known for their legendary showmanship on stage.
Of course, just as betting on football games can prove to be a game of inches, betting on the National Anthem can be a game of seconds. Just as we have encountered plenty of questionable pass interference and roughing the passer penalties throughout Super Bowl history, we have also dealt with some murky anthem lengths. Most sportsbooks list the official start of the anthem when the first note is sung, but the end has been a subject of great debate. Some books consider the end the beginning of the last note sung, while some others don’t stop timers until the singer has stopped singing entirely.
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. That mattered to way more people than it should have, and it probably caused plenty to wonder if dear Gladys had a bit of a record skip.
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. You could also just bet on football-related props, but where’s the fun in that!? We want to exercise our right to be invested in every part of the broadcast from start to finish!
Let’s get to the actual odds, and let you know which way we’re leaning.
All odds courtesy of Sports Interaction and oddsshark.com
Super Bowl national anthem prop bets 2023
How long will the national anthem run? (SIA)
- Over 126.5 seconds -130
- Under 126.5 seconds -110
At first glance, 2:06 seems like a ton of time. Only six artists dating back to Beyonce in Super Bowl 38 have eclipsed the 2:06 mark, but Stapleton has seemingly never rushed through anything in his life, and he’s been known to perform his already-slow songs even slower in concert. He once performed a rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey” (originally length: 4:53) for over eight minutes, making him a modern-day Jerry Garcia!).
In years past, we could rely on leaks or past National Anthem performances by the artist in question. This year, all we have to go by is the recent history of anthems and the personal style of the artist. We can also take into consideration that many sportsbooks opened this prop at 119.5 seconds, and the gambling masses smashed the OVER so heavily that it has crawled up a whopping seven seconds.
That’s too much time, in our humble opinion. Country stars tend to get ‘er done in two minutes or quicker, with the recent exception of country-pop singer Luke Bryan in Super Bowl 51. However, even his lengthy version didn’t make it to 2:06, instead lasting the same amount of time as Idina Menzel two years prior in Super Bowl 49 (2:04).
Pop stars tend to draw out the anthems much longer than country stars, and while Stapleton is known for his long drawl and stretched-out croons, we think the betting public has bet this one higher than it needs to be. We’ll be going the contrarian route and betting the UNDER of 126.5 seconds for the less-juiced odds of -110, but cross those fingers because anything can happen on game day.
Will Chris Stapleton forget/omit a word from the national anthem? (Odds Shark)
- Yes: +500
- No: -900
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 whether Stapleton sang “ramparts” or “lamb parts!”
Look, we’ll just cut to brass tacks here: Stapleton was born and raised in Kentucky, and then moved to Tennessee. This area of the country is called the “Bible Belt,” and let’s just say it’s not exactly comprised of people who are cool with players kneeling during the National Anthem. Where Stapleton hails from and currently resides, the Star-Spangled Banner is greatly respected and should not be messed with in any way. Stapleton is a pro’s pro when it comes to performing, so we don’t expect him to miss a word.
Who will be shown first during the National Anthem? (Odds Shark)
- Chiefs player or staff: -165
- Eagles player or staff: +125
Our guess is that Patrick Mahomes, the presumptive league MVP and most popular player in Super Bowl 57, will be the first person shown during the National Anthem. He’s practically the face of football at this point, especially now that Tom Brady has stepped away and Aaron Rodgers is contemplating life on DMT trips. If you want plus odds, you might root for “Eagles player” and hope Philly QB Jalen Hurts gets the first cut-away. We’re thinking Mahomes is all but a lock in this one — we will see him first, just like we will probably see him the most in commercials throughout the game.