The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
The Super Bowl is serious business. After all, a 30-second commercial this year costs $5.6 million, compared to last year’s $5.1 million. By comparison, baseball’s World Series costs $500,000 for 30 seconds; the Oscars cost $2.6 million. NFL football, as you can see, means big bucks.
Just as big is all the money bet on the game. It is estimated that a billion dollars will be legally bet on the game this year in 20 states. Las Vegas Sportsbook won $18.7 million in 1919 of the $154.7 million bet. It is estimated that about 7% of the US population (23 million) bet on the game in 2019. This year, Caesar’s Sportsbook took in a single $120,000 bet on the Chiefs less than 24 hours after the line was posted.
It is easy to place your bets on who will win, how many points will be scored, which team will cover the point spread, etc. These less complex bets are made across the country, not only at legal gambling sites, but in homes during Super Bowl parties (though probably not so much this year). In other words, betting on the big game is almost expected no matter how you decide to do it.
But I thought you might be interested in some of the “fun” bets you can make on the game. As of last count there were 1,218 ways to bet on the Super Bowl. The more interesting and unique bets are called “prop” bets. Here are a few:
- Which team wins the toss of the coin? (six of the last seven have been heads)
- Will there be a score in the first five minutes?
- Will a field goal attempt hit the upright?
- Which will be shorter – the National Anthem or a scoring drive?
- What will be the first song sung by The Weekend at halftime?
- Who will be the special guest at halftime?
- What color will the Gatorade bath given to the winning coach be?
- How many times will Tom Brady’s wife be shown during the telecast?
- Will the last play of each half be a quarterback rush?
- Will a lineman score a TD?
- Will any team score a 4th down touchdown?
- How many players will throw a pass?
- How many times will Bill Belichick be mentioned?
- Will either President Biden or former President Trump be mentioned?
- Who will the MVP thank first – team, family, fans, or God?
Obviously, the most important thing is to enjoy the game, but if you want to have some fun that can last throughout the entire broadcast, try some of these bets on your friends.
Good luck!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- There was an interesting NFL trade made on Saturday night. And it literally was a trade. QB Matthew Stafford of the Lions was traded for QB Jared Goff of the Rams. The Rams threw in a 3rd round pick this year and two 1st round picks in ’22 and ’23. It appears both teams benefited from this trade.
- Did you know that the AFC team in the Super Bowl has won five of the past six Super Bowls? Not only that, they have covered the point spread in the same five of six?
- There is obviously no quarterback problem for either the Bucs or the Chiefs with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles cannot say the same thing. New head coach Nick Siriani has two quarterbacks, both of whom want to be starters – Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts. My guess is that one of them will be gone. Which one would you trade away?
- The stock market, to me, is just another form of gambling. That is why I never understood one being so acceptable and another, for many years, shrouded in illegality and secrecy. Some might say the stock market offers bigger risks and, possibly, a more devastating outcome for people. With that said, I wish I understood the Gamestop controversy. I read about it, but I can’t say I understand it. I’ll wait for the movie to come out.
- Covid hit our broadcast team harder this week than at any other time. Of the five games we had scheduled, only two were played. Actually, two different games were scheduled for this past Sunday and both ended up being postponed. So two out of six. The postponements came late after all the crews were set and the prep work was completed. We will try again this week, but let’s add a major snowstorm to the mix to further complicate the season.
Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (LAST WEEK – 0-2; OVERALL- 168-97-1 – 63%)
Super Bowl PICK
Kansas City – 38-28
