Three things that America loves are football, the Star Spangled Banner, and a comeback story. All those things collide at Super Bowl LIV as Demi Lovato performs the National Anthem.
We at Covers also love wagering on sports and one of the most popular Super Bowl proposition bets (something even a non-football fan can root for) is the length of the National Anthem. We break down the odds for this always-entertaining Super Bowl betting option:
First-timers betting this prop should know that most sportsbooks (the ones that allow it. Legal U.S.-based books, like those in Las Vegas, can’t offer betting on the National Anthem) grade the beginning and end time only when the singer begins and ends singing. Any music intro or ending doesn’t tack on to the total run time for the bet.
While the Over/Under for this wager was set at 1:50 last year (and could be had as low as 1:47 when it opened), many were expecting the 74-year-old Gladys Knight to not have the lung capacity she possessed in her younger days. But unlike Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50, Knight performed like she was in her prime, clocking in at an “official” time of 1:53.
However, the anthem had as much controversy as the infamous “Tuck Rule”. Knight sang the word brave twice, going through her second brave at precisely the O/U time of 1:50. Thankfully, some sportsbooks paid out both Over and Under bettors.
The O/U for how long it takes Lovato to sing the anthem has been set around 1:56 at many operators. We compiled the National Anthem times for the last 20 renditions below, and wouldn’t you know it, the average run time over that period is 116.6 seconds or just over 1:56.
| Year | Super Bowl | Performer | Music Genre | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Super Bowl 53 | Gladys Knight | Soul, R&B | 1:53 |
| 2018 | Super Bowl 52 | Pink | Pop | 1:52 |
| 2017 | Super Bowl 51 | Luke Bryant | Country | 2:04 |
| 2016 | Super Bowl 50 | Lady Gaga | Pop | 2:09 |
| 2015 | Super Bowl 49 | Idina Menzel | Pop | 2:04 |
| 2014 | Super Bowl 48 | Renee Fleming | Opera | 1:54 |
| 2013 | Super Bowl 47 | Alicia Keys | Pop | 2:35 |
| 2012 | Super Bowl 46 | Kelly Clarkson | Pop | 1:34 |
| 2011 | Super Bowl 45 | Christina Aguilera | Pop | 1:54 |
| 2010 | Super Bowl 44 | Carrie Underwood | Country | 1:47 |
| 2009 | Super Bowl 43 | Jennifer Hudson | R&B | 2:10 |
| 2008 | Super Bowl 42 | Jordin Sparks | Pop | 1:54 |
| 2007 | Super Bowl 41 | Billy Joel | Rock ‘n’ Roll | 1:30 |
| 2006 | Super Bowl 40 | Aaron Neville & Aretha Franklin | Soul | 2:08 |
| 2005 | Super Bowl 39 | US Military Academy Choirs | Traditional | 1:52 |
| 2004 | Super Bowl 38 | Beyonce | Pop | 2:09 |
| 2003 | Super Bowl 37 | Dixie Chicks | Country | 1:36 |
| 2002 | Super Bowl 36 | Mariah Carey | Pop | 1:56 |
| 2001 | Super Bowl 35 | Backstreet Boys | Pop | 1:50 |
| 2000 | Super Bowl 34 | Faith Hill | Country | 2:01 |
For those who aren’t familiar with Lovato, the 27-year-old award-winning singer is the daughter of a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and got her start on the small screen when she appeared in Barney and Friends at the age of 10 (seriously, we would not make this up).
Lovato released her first studio album just six years later and has since received numerous awards and nominations for her muscial accomplishments while also acting and serving as a judge on The X Factor USA. She has also struggled with substance abuse problems over the years and has been vocal about her ongoing recovery, a journey which has been an inspiration to many.
This is not Lovato’s first rodeo. She has sung the Star Spangled Banner at four MLB games and one boxing event. Of course, being the dedicated researchers (and gambling degenerates) we are, we timed every one of those performances and found her average was 116 seconds.
That said, as any sports fan knows, it’s not always about the average when trying to predict future performance. It’s about what athletes have done lately. Let’s take a look at each one of those renditions:
| Event | Year | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys Game | 2008 | 1:52 |
| World Series, Game 5 | 2011 | 1:49 |
| World Series, Game 4 | 2012 | 1:50 |
| World Series, Game 4 | 2015 | 1:58 |
| Mayweather vs McGregor Fight | 2017 | 2:11 |
As you can see, Lovato has ramped up the length of her performances, topping out at an incredible 131 seconds before the Mayweather-McGregor bout. She has also developed a tendency to take a deep breath after “land of the free,” which allows her to hold the final note for a longer period of time. We’re backing a prime Demi Lovato to go Over the number on Super Bowl Sunday.
