2020 Super Bowl: Taking a look at novelty prop bets

The Super Bowl is arguably the biggest sporting event of the year, and this time around, we will witness a clash of titans! The high flying Kansas City Chiefs will be taking on the stout defense of the San Francisco 49ers. With only one game left on the card, the betting public has a plethora of options to wager on. Unlike most games throughout the year, the Super Bowl not only has the usual player and game props, but it also has novelty props. These are props that involve the Super Bowl but do not necessarily take place on the field. Sportsbooks have a range of props, from the peculiar to the obscure — we will take a look at some of the most common novelty bets. 

We have already covered some of the more conventional angles to betting the Super Bowl with our Senior Betting Analyst Chris Smith. He gave out a side and a total for the game, make sure to check it out here. PFN’s Betting Analyst and Editor Ben Rolfe also gave out some of his favorite prop bets regarding the MVP race.

Super Bowl Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Opening lines: Chiefs -1.5, Over/Under 53

The profitability behind the National Anthem

One of my favorite novelty prop bets for the Super Bowl is focused on the National Anthem. There are three prop bets that I like this year, the first being the length of the anthem. This year, pop star Demi Lovato will belt out the anthem for the fifth time on a national stage. Lovato sang in 2008 for a Cowboys-Seahawks game in 2011 before Game 5 of the World Series, in 2015 before Game 4 of the Fall Classic, and for the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight in 2017.

Opening line: Lovato’s performance Over/Under 119.5 seconds long

It is rare that we have this much data to look at when betting on a novelty prop. Lovato has only gone over 119.5 seconds once and that was at the McGregor fight in 2017. However, her two longest anthems have been the last two she has done. The fact that she has somewhat fallen out of the public eye recently, and will be looking to show off her vocal cords here, I think the over is a solid look. With her emotional performance at the Grammy’s this past weekend, Lovato will probably add some extra emotion to this anthem rendition. It is the biggest stage she has ever performed on. The addition of stress and emotion will have this number go over the total. It is also important to note that female performers have sung over the sportsbook’s line 7 of 11 times.

My second novelty prop is looking at how Lovato will sing the anthem. There are two options with this prop, whether her microphone will be on or off a stand.

Opening line: Will her microphone be on a microphone stand: Yes (-175), No (+135)

Again, we have a small sample size to analyze in this one. In the four times she has sung the anthem, three of the four times she had a stand. The only time she did not, was actually the last time at the McGregor fight. There is quite a bit of juice to lay here, but the fact that the only time she didn’t have a stand was at a boxing match, it makes me believe she will have one here. During her Grammy performance, she also had a stand. Lay the juice; she will have a stand for this one.

The last prop regarding the National Anthem that I like compares the length of Lovato’s performance and the length of a scoring drive.

Opening line: Will any scoring drive take less time than it takes her to sing the anthem: Yes (-240), No (+165)

This one is expensive at -240, but you have to take the yes on this prop. With the incredibly high flying offense of the Chiefs, and the turnover creating defense of the 49ers, there will definitely be a short score. One long pass play from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill, or an interception by the 49ers defense to create a short field, and you win this bet. If you do not want to lay this kind of juice, find a book where you can parlay the microphone stand and this prop for plus money. 

Half time show props

This year’s halftime show will include two popular pop stars, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. They should be more entertaining than whatever Maroon 5 put together last year. There are a couple of prop bets for this performance where we can look to make some money.

Opening line: How many wardrobe changes for Lopez: Over 2.5 (-140), Under 2.5 (Even)

The fact that this year we have two people co-headlining the halftime show means that they won’t need to both be on the stage all the time. When Lady Gaga performed the halftime show, she had two wardrobe changes and she was alone. This year, Lopez’s line is set at 2.5. Again, it is slightly juicy at -140, but you can all but guarantee she will not wear the same outfit the entire performance. While all of the world will be staring at Shakira, I expect Lopez to slip off and change at least three times.

Opening line: How many times will Alex Rodriguez be shown during the halftime show: Over 0.5 (+240), Under 0.5 (-380)

This is a slight longshot prop that I can see coming in. Alex Rodriguez and Lopez are engaged, and he will most likely be at the game supporting her. This is the biggest stage for any performer, and with it being in Miami, Rodriguez is all but a lock to be in the stadium. All you need is for the camera to pan to him one time to collect this ticket. 

Opening line: Will Will Smith make an appearance during the halftime show: Yes (+300), No (-500)

This is another longshot prop I like. Will Smith is an A-list actor/singer, and one of his biggest songs is titled “Miami.” Is there really a world where he doesn’t come out to hype the crowd with the song named after the city? Also, Smith and Lopez are old friends who have discussed working together over the last few years. Lopez even admitted recently that she and Smith were discussing doing a remake of A Star is Born together before Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga got to it.

The coin and the Gatorade bath

Two props that have become quite infamous over the last few years are the coin toss and the color of the Gatorade bath.

Last season, the New England Patriots surprised a lot of bettors and had blue as their Gatorade color. This makes sense, with the color being team-oriented. Since 2001, the color of Gatorade at Super Bowl games has only matched the team color scheme three times. That means that red at +125 doesn’t present any value. Yes, both teams have red-colored jerseys, but since Super Bowl 35, no team has used red Gatorade, and only three teams have been team-oriented. My play here will be the lime/green/yellow at +250. I think yellow is the color to go, similar to Super Bowl 52.

Opening line: heads -105 and tails -105

At -105, how can you not take tails? Tails has hit 53% of the time in the history of the Super Bowl. We are getting -105 with 53% odds? Yes, please. Also, tails has hit four out of the last six Super Bowls. Obviously, this is not an exact science, but I like tails to win again this year.