The Super Bowl brings the last opportunity for gamblers to bet on the NFL, and many will be looking for the last chance to score a few bucks. The big game offers several “unique” opportunities when the festivities kick off on Sunday – and that even includes the over/under on the length of the National Anthem.
Update: Mickey Guyton went Over the set time with a National Anthem that lasted 1 minute and 52 seconds. That was 17 seconds over the consensus set time.
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National Anthem prop odds
The consensus National Anthem over under odds for Mickey Guyton at Super Bowl LVI is 95 seconds (1 minute and 35 seconds). Sportsbooks in the US are not permitted to offer a prop bet strictly on the length of the National Anthem, but it is allowed if the wager includes something that can be found in the final box score of the game.
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DraftKings Sportsbook had a National Anthem-related prop last year where you could bet on whether or not the shortest scoring drive of the game would be greater or less than the length of the National Anthem.
Keep in mind that scoring drives mean “football time” and not “real time.” For instance, Tampa Bay had a scoring drive of 55 seconds (in football time) right before the half in last year’s Super Bowl. So those DraftKings bettors who clicked “Yes” on the Anthem to be longer wound up victorious.
Most scoring drives in the NFL last longer than 2 minutes. For instance, the Chiefs’ longest scoring drive in last year’s Big Game was 3 minutes and 23 seconds.
Who is singing the Super Bowl National Anthem this year?
It was revealed on Feb. 1 that country music star Mickey Guyton would sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl this year. Guyton’s album “Remember Her Name” was recently Grammy nominated for “Best Country Album of the Year.”
Not to be confused with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful” will also be performed at SoFi Stadium. Singing that song this year will be R&B star Jhene Aiko.
Halftime show performers have also been named for Super Bowl 56 as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige will headline.
Mickey Guyton National Anthem length history
Call her “Quickie Mickey” because the 38-year-old Texas native doesn’t mess around with our Nation’s theme song. There are few overly-dramatic moments in Guyton’s previous renditions, so expect this year’s Anthem to come well under last year’s version by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church. The duo went 18 seconds over the set over/under, clocking in at a whopping 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
Here is the most recent National Anthem performance by Guyton that’s available on the interwebs. It aired during the National Memorial Day Concert last May and Guyton wraps it up with a lightning fast time of 1 minute and 23 seconds.
The only point in the above video where Guyton goes all Christina Aguilera on us is the end, when she drags out the word “Brave.”
There is also the below version from seven years ago where we see Guyton ratchet it up a notch for the word, “Free.” This video starts after Guyton begins singing but let’s conservatively tack on five seconds here. This one comes in with a length around 1 minute and 31 seconds.
Prop bets: Betting the Banner
Once again this year, bettors will be hoping the Super Bowl National Anthem turns into some star-spangled cash. Over/under wagering on the National Anthem adds some extra fun to the biggest game of the NFL season. More than two centuries after Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner,” bettors have a decision to make again on his song’s length this year.
There hasn’t been much in the way of a trend in recent years. Since 2010, the Over has hit five times, the Under has hit five times and there was one push.
Although books haven’t released lines yet for the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the over/under usually checks in around 2 full minutes.
Keep in mind that the way the anthem is typically timed starts when the singer starts singing, not when the music starts playing. The timing also ends when the singer is finished singing the word “brave.”
Trending toward the long road
When it comes to the Super Bowl, a long song seems to be the norm. From 2013 to 2017, the anthem went over 2 minutes each year.
One trend is the overall lengthening of the song. In the 1990s, the anthem went over 2 minutes only twice. In the 2000s, it went over 120 seconds four times. And in the 2010s, it went over the 2 minutes mark six times.
Super Bowl National Anthem history
| Year | Singer | Over/Under Time | Actual Time | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church | 1:59 | 2:17 (Video) | Over |
| 2020 | Demi Lovato | 1:55 | 1:49 (Video) | Under |
| 2019 | Gladys Knight | 1:47 | 2:01 (Video) | Over |
| 2018 | Pink | 2:00 | 1:52 (Video) | Under |
| 2017 | Luke Bryan | 2:09 | 2:04 (Video) | Under |
| 2016 | Lady Gaga | 2:22 | 2:22 (Video) | Over |
| 2015 | Idina Menzel | 2:02 | 2:04 (Video) | Over |
| 2014 | Renée Fleming | 2:23 | 2:03 (Video) | Under |
| 2013 | Alicia Keys | 2:15 | 2:36 (Video) | Over |
| 2012 | Kelly Clarkson | 1:34 | 1:34 (Video) | Push |
| 2011 | Christina Aguilera | 1:54 | 1:53 (Video) | Under |
| 2010 | Carrie Underwood | 1:41 | 1:47 (Video) | Over |
| 2009 | Jennifer Hudson | 2:04 | 2:10 (Video) | Over |
| 2008 | Jordin Sparks | 1:47 | 1:54 (Video) | Over |
| 2007 | Billy Joel | 1:44 | 1:30 (Video) | Under |
| 2006 | Aaron Neville/Aretha Franklin | N/A | 2:09 (Video) | N/A |
| 2005 | Choirs of the U.S. military academies | N/A | 1:53 (Video) | N/A |
| 2004 | Beyoncé | N/A | 2:09 (Video) | N/A |
| 2003 | Dixie Chicks | N/A | 1:33 (Video) | N/A |
| 2002 | Mariah Carey | N/A | 1:56 (Video) | N/A |
| 2001 | Backstreet Boys | N/A | 1:49 (Video) | N/A |
| 2000 | Faith Hill | N/A | 2:00 (Video) | N/A |
| 1999 | Cher | N/A | 1:55 (Video) | N/A |
| 1998 | Jewel | N/A | 1:27 (Video) | N/A |
| 1997 | Luther Vandross | N/A | 1:53 (Video) | N/A |
| 1996 | Vanessa Williams | N/A | 1:35 (Video) | N/A |
| 1995 | Kathie Lee Gifford | N/A | 1:40 (Video) | N/A |
| 1994 | Natalie Cole | N/A | 2:33 (Video) | N/A |
| 1993 | Garth Brooks | N/A | 1:45 (Video) | N/A |
| 1992 | Harry Connick Jr. | N/A | 2:06 (Video) | N/A |
| 1991 | Whitney Houston | N/A | 1:56 (Video) | N/A |
| 1990 | Aaron Neville | N/A | 1:25 (Video) | N/A |
Big sounds and big moments
The National Anthem and its singer bring plenty of interest each year. In 2015, some books halted betting on the National Anthem after some large bets came in on the over.
Figuring bettors may have been privy to rehearsal numbers, these books decided continued action might end on a sour note.
Christina Aguilera awarded under bets in 2011, but received criticism after completely flubbing a line in the song. Did that screw-up lead to the under performance? It’s possible.
Once of the most beloved performances is Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition. It was melodic, patriotic, and brilliant.