Katy...here is your video
Willie Bee, here is your blog
What better way to start off the Super Bowl than to win money before the game even starts. No, I am not talking about betting on NBA, NHL, or NCAA before, I'm talking about the National Anthem.
Now I don't have exact number on what the O/U was for the last 3 or 4 times it was sung, but I do have video and I do have my memory. The last two years, two former American Idol singers sang the Anthem, with both of them going OVER in time. I know this b/c I bet the Over on both and won.
I will go back in time and give the time and singer of some past Super Bowl performances. And when it comes to the end, there is a common factor. The factor is that women sing longer than men, black women sing longer than the white and that American Idol women as well as all women hold out notes longer which makes for the length of the anthem to go over.
O/U of the 2010 National Anthem is 1:42
In 2000, Faith Hill started off the game with her rendition of the National Anthem and it might have been one of her best performances ever. She is a women of course and my theory of holding the notes longer stays strong. It took Hill 2:00 to sing the Anthem including 10 seconds she held out the last note.
In 2001,The Backstreet Boys sung the Anthem. The backstreet boys sang the Anthem. This group started on a faster pace, but slowed it down by again HOLDING OUT OF THE NOTE. Or the land and of the free, and the home of the brave, that alone took 31 seconds of the performance. Overall, it took the Boys 1:49 seconds.
2002, Mariah Carey sang the National Anthem. Women of course, holding out those notes, her rendition of the song took 1:56 including 15 seconds of HOLDING OUT THE LAST NOTE.
2005 SuperBowl had the Academy Choir singing the anthem. Now of course, a choir singing this makes the beat a lot faster, notes are not held out as long, and the anthem is a lot shorter. But, they also had a band with them, the Choir sang the original verse in 1:10. But then the band played a little longer and they sang the last line again. I'm not sure how they count that, but I would say the original verse is what counted, so 1:10 was the length.
2007 saw Billy Joel sing the National Anthem. It really wasn't too goo, but again the length is all that matters. Joel played piano while singing like always, but his version wasn't too long at all. Being a guy, he just sings it. Solo guy, compared to group such as Back Street Boys. Joel's version was only 1:29.
2008 and Former American Idol star Jordin Sparks steps up to sing the National Anthem. Idol stars are known for holding out notes longer based from how they sang on the show and especially being a women, you know the song will be long. When Sparks sang, it lasted 1:54 seconds which turned out to be OVER for betting purposes. 10 seconds she held out for the last note.
2009 saw another ex idol singing the Anthem in Jen Hudson. Again, women and idol women hold notes out for a long time and Hudson took a record time to sing this song. Hudson had an amazing version singing this song and it took 2:11 when
it was all said and done, every note was held out to the fullest.
This year, we see yet another American Idol star step up to the big stage in Carrie Underwood. Country star has sung the National Anthem at big games before. She sang the Anthem at a NFL game back in 2006, and sung it in 1:40. Now, she just sang it straight through. Regular game, so I don't thing she held out notes as she will for this game.
Underwood sang the Anthem at the 2005 NBA all star game as well. This was very close, but I think the total outcome was 1:41 from this performance.
Underwood sang again at Game 3 of the 2007 World Series and this time, Underwood took shorter to sing it, singing straight through the song. 1:37 was the total here. So 3 performances and 3 UNDERS at 3 different sports.
Even though, the prior 3 have gone under, I feel at the Superbowl this Sunday, you will see a longer performance for Underwood, holding out notes like most have done in the past and the song will go OVER the 1:42 total. The past 3 performances, she just straight sang through the song, but SuperBowl is a bigger stage for all singers and if she just holds one or 2 notes for 1 or 2 seconds longer than normal, the OVER will hit. Trends will say on Underwood to stay UNDER, but trends from the past say OVER. Carrie Underwood sings the song the same way each performance, with her chords going high or low, it's the same each time and I do expect the same on Sunday, but with a little added length.
The past has shown that 1:42 should be easy OVER, but Carrie Underwood will test this theory. My theory of American idol winners holding notes longer, women holding notes longer, the Superbowl having people go longer on performance will all be tested here on Sunday.
Good luck to those who bet this if you even decide to bet this prop.
Sharp play on OVER 1:42 for me.
Gl Boys
Video to come