Among the Super Bowl pregame festivities that attract major betting action, the national anthem is second only to the coin toss in terms of handle on an annual basis. If you take in any Super Bowl betting content in the lead-up to the big game, you will undoubtedly hear some discussion regarding the length of the national anthem. The typical time to beat hovers in the neighborhood of two minutes. This year’s Chiefs vs Buccaneers Super Bowl national anthem is no different.
Is there an actual edge to be found when betting on the length of the Super Bowl national anthem? The following dives into the betting odds and specifics of this year’s Star-Spangled Banner to help you make the most informed decision possible.
National Anthem Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of MyBookie Sportsbook
Length of the National Anthem: 2 minutes, 15.15 seconds — Over: (-130) | Under: (-110)
Super Bowl National Anthem Overview
This year’s Super Bowl national anthem will be a duet performed by Grammy-nominated artists Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan. The pair combine to form a unique duo given their differing musical genres.
Church is a country singer and songwriter from North Carolina. Over the course of his career, he has been nominated for 10 Grammy awards. He has also won seven ACM Awards and four CMA Awards. His most notable hit singles include “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand”.
Meanwhile, Sullivan is an R&B singer and songwriter from Philadelphia. Her debut album Fearless is responsible for seven of her 12 Grammy award nominations. From her more recent Heaux Tales album which was released earlier this year, popular songs include “Lost One” and “Pick Up Your Feelings”.
Super Bowl National Anthem History
Can past history lend us a helping hand when betting on the length of this year’s Super Bowl national anthem? While this will be the first time performing the Super Bowl anthem for both Church and Sullivan, it’s worth noting some of the other performers and times from recent years. Perhaps bettors can draw correlations between specific music genres and the average anthem length.
Going all the way back to Super Bowl XL in 2005, the average length of the national anthem is one minute, 55 seconds (1:55). The longest time in that span came courtesy of Alicia Keys, who took two minutes, 35 seconds (2:35) to belt the anthem at Super Bowl XLVII. The shortest rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner in that same span came at Super Bowl XLI. Billy Joel cruised through the national anthem in a brisk 90 seconds flat (1:30).
In addition to these numbers, the national anthem was on the longer side the last time the Super Bowl was played in Tampa Bay. Jennifer Hudson sang the Super Bowl XLIII anthem in two minutes, 10 seconds (2:10) in the very same Raymond James Stadium where Church and Sullivan will duet on Sunday. The table below includes a complete list of Super Bowl national anthem singers and times over the last 15 years.
| Game | Venue | Location | Singer(s) | Anthem Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl XL | Ford Field | Detroit, MI | Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin | 2:08 |
| Super Bowl XLI | Dolphin Stadium | Miami Gardens, FL | Billy Joel | 1:30 |
| Super Bowl XLII | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, AZ | Jordin Sparks | 1:54 |
| Super Bowl XLIII | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, FL | Jennifer Hudson | 2:10 |
| Super Bowl XLIV | Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens, FL | Carrie Underwood | 1:47 |
| Super Bowl XLV | Cowboys Stadium | Arlington, TX | Christina Aguilera | 1:54 |
| Super Bowl XLVI | Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, IN | Kelly Clarkson | 1:34 |
| Super Bowl XLVII | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans, LA | Alicia Keys | 2:35 |
| Super Bowl XLVIII | MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ | Renee Fleming | 1:54 |
| Super Bowl XLIX | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, AZ | Idina Menzel | 2:04 |
| Super Bowl 50 | Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, CA | Lady Gaga | 2:09 |
| Super Bowl LI | NRG Stadium | Houston, TX | Luke Bryan | 2:04 |
| Super Bowl LII | U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, MN | Pink | 1:53 |
| Super Bowl LIII | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA | Gladys Knight | 1:49 |
| Super Bowl LIV | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, FL | Demi Lovato | 1:49 |
| Super Bowl LV | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, FL | Eric Church, Jazmine Sullivan | ??? |
National Anthem Betting Lines Move After Leaked Rehearsal
For those who might’ve nailed the Over on the initial national anthem betting lines earlier in the week, kudos to you. The best of the number is LONG GONE from the betting market thanks to a leaked rehearsal video courtesy of a reporter from WESH in Orlando. Mr. Zach Maskavich was in a parking lot across the street from Raymond James Stadium and taped the whole rehearsal, stopwatch and all! For those interested, here is the video posting itself.
As one might expect, oddsmakers at sportsbooks everywhere rushed to adjust their numbers following the leaked rehearsal video hitting the Internet. Earlier in the week, bettors were picking the over/under on a one minute, 59 seconds (1:59) national anthem. The new line at MyBookie Sportsbook is obviously way higher than that, but still a shade lower than the final rehearsal time from Maskavich’s video.
National Anthem Prop Bets
If you read up on some of the craziest Super Bowl prop bets available for wagering this year, it should come as no surprise that the national anthem betting opportunities extend far beyond the length of the performance. Here are some other interesting national anthem prop bets and their corresponding odds courtesy of MyBookie Sportsbook.
PRIMARY COLOR OF ERIC CHURCH’S SHIRT
- Black: -170
- Gray: +150
- White: +300
- Blue: +400
- Red: +600
- Yellow: +800
- Green: +1000
WILL ERIC CHURCH WEAR A JEAN JACKET?
- Yes: +300
- No: -600
WILL ERIC CHURCH BE WEARING SUNGLASSES?
- Yes: -600
- No: +300
WILL ERIC CHURCH WEAR A COWBOY HAT?
- Yes: +550
- No: -1100
WHAT WILL JAZMINE SULLIVAN BE WEARING?
- Skirt/Dress: -220
- Pants/Shorts/Leggings: +155
PRIMARY COLOR OF JAZMINE SULLIVAN’S TOP
- Black: +200
- White: +250
- Yellow: +300
- Red: +300
- Silver: +400
- Pink: +400
- Blue: +600
WILL JAZMINE SULLIVAN’S OUTFIT SHOW CLEAVAGE?
- Yes: -250
- No: +170
WHAT STYLE OF SHOE WILL JAZMINE SULLIVAN WEAR?
- Open Toe: +140
- Closed Toe: -190
WILL JAZMINE SULLIVAN BE WEARING A HAT?
- Yes: +300
- No: -600
WILL ANY SCORING DRIVE TAKE LESS TIME THAN THE NATIONAL ANTHEM?
- Yes: -400
- No: +250
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