The Super Bowl is traditionally the biggest gambling event of the year, but most bettors focus on putting money on aspects of the game that they have a realistic chance of predicting—Super Bowl MVP, total passing yards for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and whether or not Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno will score a rushing touchdown during the game.
But over the last few years, a new incarnation of sports betting has risen to prominence among football fans—the ridiculous prop bet. Super Bowl viewers can now wager their hard-earned money on the length of the National Anthem, the number of times that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will say “Omaha” during the game, and whether or not Bruno Mars will wear a fedora during his halftime show performance.
Believe it or not, those prop bets, while utterly ridiculous, are just a few of the strange options gamblers will have come Super Bowl Sunday. IBTimes has compiled a list of the 11 weirdest Super Bowl prop bets below.
(All prop bets via Bovada)
Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first in his speech?
Bovada covered just about every cliché—gamblers can wager that the game’s most valuable player will mention teammates (1/1), God (3/1), the fans (11/2), the opposing team (10/1), family (12/1), his coach (14/1), or his team’s owner (25/1). The most intriguing option? None of the above, which is going off at 9/2.
Who will Barack Obama pick to win the game?
Just the latest of the president’s choices that will impact the wallets of American citizens.
What color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the head coach of the winning Super Bowl team?
This is typically one of the most popular prop bets at every Super Bowl—we imagine that the sight of watching one’s preferred color of sports beverage unleashed on the winning head coach is quite a rush.
Will Richard Sherman receive an unnecessary roughness penalty in the game?
It’s hard to imagine that Sherman would commit an unnecessary roughness penalty in the wake of his scandalous interview after the NFC Championship. Besides, the Seahawks cornerback may take the occasional pass interference flag, but he’s not known for dirty play.
Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the singing of the National Anthem?
The Broncos running back’s propensity to unleash a veritable river of tears during the National Anthem was one of the weirdest (yet heartwarming) stories of the NFL season. A “yes” bet has +170 odds, while a “no” bet is going at -250.
If Renee Fleming wears gloves when she starts singing US National Anthem, what color will they be?
Hopefully, prop bettors have been keeping tabs on the opera singer’s wardrobe choices. Assuming that Fleming wears gloves, gamblers can choose between white (+275), black (even), red (+500), or every other color combined (+300).
Will Michael Crabtree mention Richard Sherman in a tweet during the Super Bowl from kickoff until the final whistle?
Crabtree and Sherman certainly have their history, especially after the Seahawks cornerback’s harsh words after the AFC Championship. It’s possible that watching her archrival play in a Super Bowl might be too much for Crabtree to bear.
Will any member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers be shirtless during its performance?
We can’t remember the last time that Anthony Kiedis wore a shirt, so this might be the safest prop bet of them all. It’s pretty weird to wager on a halftime performer’s level of nudity—though it is oddly fitting, given the event’s history.
What will Bruno Mars be wearing on his head at the start of his halftime performance?
It wouldn’t be a Bruno Mars concert if the crooner wasn’t wearing some sort of outlandish head garment. Fans have the option of selecting Fedora (-150), fur hat (+550), tuque (+500), or no hat at all (+250).
What will be higher? Seconds in the National Anthem sung by Renee Fleming or Peyton Manning’s passing yards in the first half?
Talk about arbitrary—this prop bet seems to have been created solely to drive prospective gamblers insane. For what it’s worth, the over/under on the length of Fleming’s National Anthem is sitting at two minutes and 25 seconds—that’s 145 seconds for those of you counting at home. Can Peyton Manning put up that many yards in one half against the vaunted Seahawks secondary?
What will happen with the Dow Jones the day after the Super Bowl?
The markets are hard enough to predict for experts, so betting on the Super Bowl’s affect on the Dow Jones seems like a risky proposition. The chances of the market going up are set at -140, while the odds of the market going down are even.
Weird Super Bowl Prop Bets 2014: List Of 11 Funny Wagers For Broncos-Seahawks Game
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