Prop bets are one of the coolest parts about the build up to the Super Bowl. Every year, people bet absurd amounts of money on things that have nothing to do with football. Considering the actual football game may be the least important part of the entire ordeal, this probably isn’t surprising––but I digress.
This year’s game has plenty of odd props that go beyond the ordinary “How long will the national anthem last?” and “Who will score first?” In a blog post from Tuesday Jan. 27, the Chicago Tribune posted a list of some of the more unique ones. Here are some of the best.
It wouldn’t be a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in it if there wasn’t some talk of cheating. This year, the Patriots allegedly illegally deflated game balls in the American Football Conference Championship game. Thus, there is an over/under bet on number of mentions of “deflated” balls with the line at three. Take the over on this one. I doubt we’ll get out of the first quarter without Al Michaels saying “deflate” about 10 times.
Next, we have which type of hoodie will Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wear: sleeves cut or sleeves intact. My gut reaction was to say sleeves cut because the game is being played in Arizona. But in Super Bowl XLII, also played in Arizona, Belichick wore a red hoodie with ripped sleeves and lost to the New York Giants in an incredible game. I would say sleeves intact if I were a betting man, but it’s really too close to call.
Following the theme of Belichick-related bets, there is a prop about whether or not he will smile on camera during the game. This is probably the easiest bet to pick: no. If the Patriots were up by 35 points in the second quarter, Belichick would still be upset about something. If they win, I think there’s a 60 percent chance that he smiles during a postgame interview.
Finally, the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the greatest non-sporting spectacles in sports. Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz will be performing this year but the question remains: who, if anybody, will join them on stage? The favorite right now is Snoop Dogg with 19/4 odds. This is a safe pick if ever there was one. Snoop was featured on Perry’s song “California Gurls” and could match well with Kravitz’s soul-rock sound. My money’s on Snoop.
The one thing that these kinds of bets tell us more than anything else: the outcome of the game is probably the least important part of Sunday night.