So, the Super Bowl national anthem. Everyone talks about the game, the halftime show, the commercials. But for years, I’ve had this little side-interest: the anthem’s length. Sounds kinda silly, right? But it’s one of those things that just stuck with me.
It all started, I think, maybe ten or fifteen years ago. I wasn’t even that big into betting, but a buddy of mine always made a big deal about the anthem prop bet. You know, over or under a certain time. I just got curious. How do they even time that officially? What counts? So, I figured, why not try timing it myself? I just wanted to see, you know, how it all worked out from my own couch.
My Method, If You Can Call It That
My setup was nothing fancy, believe me. Just me, my TV, and the stopwatch on my phone. The first few years, I was a bit haphazard. I’d sit there, finger hovering, wondering when does it really start? Is it when the first note plays, or when the singer actually starts singing? And then, when does it end? The moment the last word is sung, or when the music fully fades out, or maybe when the crowd erupts?
After a couple of tries, I decided to be consistent, for my own records anyway. I had to pick a system. So, I went with:
- Start: The very first audible note of music initiating the anthem. Not the singer’s first word, but the actual music kicking off. I’d listen real close for that.
- End: The absolute completion of the final sung note. I decided not to count the trailing instruments, just when the singer holds that last word and fully finishes it.
Yeah, I know, super scientific, right? But it was my method. I’d watch the singer like a hawk. Sometimes they’d stretch out “freeeeee” or “braaaaave” for what felt like an eternity. Those were the real nail-biters if you had money on it, even if it was just a five-dollar bet with a friend. I’d be there, stopwatch running, completely focused on that one person and their voice.
Over the years, I’ve got a nice little spreadsheet going. Nothing groundbreaking, just a list of singers, the year, and my timed length. It’s funny to look back at. Some singers are quick, very business-like. Others, they really milk it. You can almost see them thinking about that final note, how long they can hold it, making a whole performance out of just that last word.
And you know what? My times were often pretty close to what the sportsbooks would settle on, give or take a second. Made me feel like a pro, even though I was just sitting on my couch with my phone. I’d jot down the time, then check online later to see how my timing compared to the ‘official unofficial’ times reported everywhere.
This whole anthem timing thing actually became a bit of a weird bonding experience with my nephew. He was a teenager then, probably thought all my hobbies were lame. But when he found out I was tracking this, he got into it. We’d text back and forth on game day, making our own predictions. He even started his own little stopwatch ritual. Last year, he actually won his college dorm’s betting pool on the anthem – told me he used my ‘start with the music, end with the voice’ rule. Sent me a text saying ‘Uncle, your weird hobby finally paid off!’ Made me chuckle, it really did.
It’s not like it’s a big deal, timing the anthem. It’s just a small, quirky thing. But sometimes those little traditions, the ones you kind of stumble into, they end up meaning more than you’d think. It’s not about the betting, not really, at least not for me anymore. It’s about the focus, the anticipation for that one specific moment, and yeah, maybe feeling a little bit clever if you nail it.
I remember one year, I think it was when Christina Aguilera sang, and she flubbed a line. Man, the internet went wild. Everyone was talking about the mistake. But for my timing? Didn’t matter. Music started, last note ended. Clocked it. The drama around it was just extra noise. Sometimes, you just gotta stick to your process, however simple it is, and just do your thing. That’s what I did, and I still do it every year.
