Super Bowl offers smorgasbord of wagers
An email from an online wagering company arrived Wednesday with 53 things that can be wagered on during the Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots on Feb. 3.
Some were expected, like will the 75 combined points record be broken?
Will CBS show that outrageous missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship Game?
Who will have the most carries, Todd Gurley or C.J. Anderson?
Then there were some that seemed odd, including many involving Gladys Knight, who will sing the national anthem. There was the obligatory how long will the song be, but there were also odds on whether she will leave out a word, her attire, what kind of microphone she’ll use, and whether she will kneel while singing.
What color shoes will Adam Levine of halftime act Maroon 5 wear? White is the odds-on favorite, and pink is the longest shot.
Anyone wagering on those things is probably watching the game for the commercials, which have weakened tremendously over the years.
One of the things that can be wagered on is whether Bill Belichick will be referred to as a genius. Tip, don’t bet against that one or the age difference being mentioned between Belichick (66) and Rams Coach Sean McVay (33).
The odds also favor mentioning Tom Brady’s and Jared Goff’s age difference, which is 17 years.
Will there be a roughing-the-passer penalty during the game? Duh, Brady and the Patriots are playing.
Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first? Teammates are 2-1, and God is a close second at 3-1. The referees are the long shot at 50-1.
Bettors can make serious money if they think a safety will occur: bet $1 to make $8 if it happens.
The Patriots are favored to score last, but why wouldn’t they be with Brady at quarterback? He thrives on two-minute offenses with the game on the line.
There are a lot of other betting options, like will one of the quarterbacks throw for more than 400 yards, total players who attempt a pass, will either quarterback have a rushing touchdown, and the color of the liquid poured over the winning coach.
Your trusty scribe doesn’t gamble much, but here are a few suggestions for the betting folks to add to their list of wagering options.
Will Patriots owner Robert Kraft wear a blue shirt with a white collar? This would be a very low odds wager because it appears that is all he owns.
Will Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, sit in the stands or a luxury suite? Take the suite. The more luxurious the better. Bet a dollar to win a shiny new penny.
How many minutes will the game go past three hours? Under five, under 10 and under 30 are the options. Take the under 10 minutes. Somehow the NFL manages to keep its games right at three hours while college games have soared past the 3:30 mark and sometimes are close to four hours, which probably has something to do with the declining attendance across the nation.
Will the “Gronk,” Rob Gronkowski, roar like a wild moose if he scores a touchdown? Definitely so. Bet a dollar to win 50 cents. The bet is off if he doesn’t score.
On the sidelines, will Belichick look like he had sour milk and day-old doughnuts for lunch? Bet a dollar to win a dime.
Will Belichick smile if the Patriots win? Bet a dollar to win 14 cents.
Will the Rams get a first down on their first possession? Bet no and get $2 for every $1 wagered. Nerves will be at play on that possession.
Will the officials miss a call? Bet $1 on no and get robbed.
Will analyst Tony Romo call a Patriots’ play seconds before they run it? Heck yeah. He’s having the best playoffs of his career.