One fo the most popular Super Bowl prop bets each year is the length of the National Anthem. In 2012, Kelly Clarkson rolled in at 1:34, while the previous year saw Christina Aguilera clock in at 1:53 after skipping a line. This year, Alicia Keys is singing the anthem, and the over/under has been set by Bovada at a whopping 2:15.
Why so high? Well, apparently Keys told MTV News that she would be doing it "my style and my way". Bovada's Kevn Bradley indicated that such a comment is enough to move the over/under up:
"Whenever a singer announces they will do their own rendition of the anthem, it complicates the situation because it usually runs much longer," said Bradley. "You are never sure what to expect."
The last two years, with Clarkson and Aguilera singing the anthem, there has been some content on YouTube featuring their previous versions of the Anthem. I did a quick search of YouTube and I am not seeing any versions of the Anthem from Alicia Keys. That makes the process of wagering a little bit more difficult.
That also means sports books might be flying a bit in the dark themselves with speculation. I would lean towards taking the under. Christina Aguilera is a bit of a "long" singer and she still would have come in well under 2:15 if she had hit all the lines two years ago. I imagine it will be close, but the "under" wager seems like a better bet.
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