Who makes the most money from the Super Bowl cash cow? Teams? Players? Networks? Advertisers? Coaches? Performers? Well, I suppose they all do well. It's one of those times when winning may be incidental to the show. But, the talking heads, who take home a nice paycheck too, are saying the bookies will win this round. They're taking odds on everything. Odds are they'll win big!
So, will Alicia Keys botch the words to the National Anthem? Las Vegas is betting she will. They're also taking bets on how long it will take her to sing through her rendition. Will the Harbaugh bros shake hands, embrace, bump butts, or go over and under? You can lay down some bills on every option. How long will the handshake take? Twenty seconds??? They're taking bets on that one too. Which team will win the coin toss? How many times will Jack Harbaugh be shown by the TV cameras? Et ct.
Last year Las Vegas totaled $93.89 million in Super Bowl betting. With the economy down a little they're only expecting + or - $90.5 million this year. But, variety is the spice this year, the actual number of betting categories from which the gamblers can choose.You can put a few dollars on how many Tweets will be sent per second during the game, or who President Obama will pick to win. The betting world is betting huge bucks on America's tendency to bet on just about any kind of contest. No doubt they're right.
And, that's one of the problems I have with professional sports. Honestly, I could care less who wins the Super Bowl or any professional fotball game, for that matter. Yes, I used to be a die-hard Redskins fan back in the day. But, that was before the football became incidental to the side-show, when a team was a team, players belonged to a team, and marching bands were the half-time show. Yes, I'm a throw back. But, the cash has taken off some of the lustre. Today, it's what the show is about. The game can be boring, and often is, as long as the commercials are witty and entertaining, and the stage show has enough skin and smoke. Fireworks help too. The game itself is of little consequence. And, that's a problem for this purist.
So, when it comes to most sports, I'll take the college variety. Yes, the spreads are still there, and revenues still drive the machinery. But, odds are, the games do at least mean something beyond the sports line. At least the student body, alumni, and players families care about the game and outcomes, and they're not wagering every week on which threads of the game ball will be torn at the end of the quarter.
Odds are there's going to be tons of cash riding on this one. No matter who wins.
Call it. Heads or tails.
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