Ah the Super Bowl, for NFL nuffies this is like their Christmas Day and for the casual observer, it is a great excuse to down buffalo wings, corn chips and hot dogs for breakfast.
There are plenty of breakdowns on the intricacies of the 49ers offensive scheme and the wizardry of Patrick Mahomes, but what about the markets for the people watching with little to no interest in who wins?
You know the kind, the ones who got invited to the gathering with their workmates or buddies at the bar and just wants to enjoy the game without tyring to learn how to spell Kyle Juszczyk’s surname.
Well never fear, here at Neds we have you covered with dozens of Super Bowl Novelty Markets that cover everything around the big game, while having very little to nothing to do with the four quarters of action.
The full list will be linked in each segment but we’ve scoured the weather patterns, Usher’s setlists, Taylor Swift’s outfit choices at previous Chiefs games and more to bring you our in depth Novelty Markets Preview.
It takes a lot to draw attention away from the biggest annual sporting event in the world, but that is a testament to the pulling power of Taylor Swift.
The Neds bookies have done up a whole bunch of Kelce/Swift related specials for the big game and there are some big odds on offer for some incredibly specific scenarios to play out in Las Vegas.
We’ve found six of the best from the almost 40 options on offer at publish.
Let’s start with the first one and for those who have not watched a whole lot of Chiefs games (and there’s no shame in admitting that… despite several prime time appearances), Andy Reid is an offensive madman and loves to dial up some wild and wacky plays.
He’s also not immune from playing into a storyline and wouldn’t it be fitting for what could be his final game for Kelce to get a passing touchdown in a Super Bowl?
Speaking of storylines, this one is probably a bit low in price, but it’s still worth having something on especially if you are still one of the few convinced that this is some sort of PR stunt.
Kelce is going to have to have about 90% of the Chiefs offensive production to win MVP but if he does, he’ll surely find a camera and make sure everyone sees him propose to Swift amongst the confetti.
Up next is a simple productivity one, Kelce is Patrick Mahomes’ favourite target so reaching the sevens in the stat line is looking very likely and he knows how to get open in the end zone for a touchdown.
There’s also a chance to double down with the Grammys market on top of that by taking the overs (or get some insurance if you think the 49ers might clamp down on the tight end) and triple down with Two Is Better Than One.
Finally, if the Chiefs win, Kelce is going to find his way to the podium for the presentation, no ifs, ands or buts about it, even if they would rather talk to one of his teammates.
And once he grabs the microphone out of Jim Nantz’s hand, he’s going to look up to the crowd, take a second to remember that Beastie Boys’ line and scream “You gotta fight, for your right… to party!”.
BEST BETS
- 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back – Travis Kelce to Throw a Touchdown Pass @ $51.00
- Love Story – Travis Kelce to Win Super Bowl MVP and Proposes to Taylor Swift @ $31.00
- Seven – Travis Kelce to Have 7+ Receptions, 70+ Receiving Yards & Anytime TD @ $7.00
- Travis Receptions v Taylor’s Grammys – Over 6.5 Receptions @ $1.60
- Two is Better than One – Travis Kelce 2+ Touchdowns & Chiefs Win @ $9.00
- Will Travis Kelce Say “You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party” @ $3.00
So you think the coin toss is inconsequential and it’s a miracle it can be bet on?
Come on, this is the Super Bowl, of course it can be!
And while it remains a 50/50 shot every time the coin goes up in the air, there are still some trends to follow to find some value.
For starters, tails has gone 7-3 in the last 10 Super Bowls and that moves to 8-3 if you include the overtime coin toss in Super Bowl LI between New England and Atlanta.
Tails never fails?
We’ll find out about five minutes before kickoff.
And there’s one other little stat worth noting, the winner of the coin toss has gone 1-9 in the last 10 Super Bowls, so maybe it’s something a team is happy to lose.
Although the one team that won the coin toss was Kansas City last season, so take that into consideration.
BEST BETS
- Coin Toss Result: Tails @ $1.95
- Coin Toss Winner Wins Game (No) @ $1.95
Let’s take a look at the national anthem because 90.5 seconds seems incredibly short based on the history of the Super Bowl.
Last year country musician Chris Stapleton clocked in at 2:01 which is about average for the last 10 years.
In that time the longest ones were Idina Menzel at Super Bowl 49 and Alicia Keys at Super Bowl 46, both of whom were timed at 2:36.
But it just shows that it all comes down to the performer, Reba McIntyre not only has form of short and sharp, no-nonsense anthems, but is she really going to be the sort to drag it out?
Two of her recorded times came in at 79 and 82 seconds in the past and we might see Jewell’s record for all time shortest anthem at a Super Bowl come under threat here.
And for the other end of the game, the time honoured Gatorade bath.
We’re Neds so of course we are going to be tipping the orange liquid to be dumped over the winning coach (and also the superior flavour).
But there is always room for a twist and the Chiefs delivered that last season, dousing Andy Reid in purple Gatorade.
Blue has been the colour of choice for the winner in three of the last five Super Bowls but we are due for a return of an icy water/clear Gatorade bath, which has not happened since the Giants in 2008, but was a popular choice in the early part of the millennium.
As for when the bath will occur, given this game is like
BEST BETS
- National Anthem Under 90.5 Seconds @ $1.88
- Gatorade Bath First Colour: Orange @ $4.00 | Clear/Water @ $13.00
- Gatorade Bath Before the Final Whistle (No) @ $2.00
If you want to find any value in this market, you had better get on it before the rehearsal information starts to leak out because the odds on the eventual winners will tumble to the ground quicker than a Mac Jones pass over 10 yards.
While not one of his most well known songs, a quick scan of Usher’s setlists from his recent concerts turns up one regular opening number, My Way.
He won’t come onto the stage with “And now… the end is near…” he’s got a song of the same name as Sinatra’s classic.
That little stat has already seen the song tumble from $6.00 to $2.50 at the time of writing and if it gets under $2.00 we may get some early confirmation.
As for the number of songs performed, last year Rihanna got through 10 from her back catalogue (with another dozen that could have been included if time allowed) and she did all that while pregnant!
So Usher’s current number of 8.5 is pretty low and with his hit list, double digits seems very likely, especially if a special guest comes onto the stage.
Recent Super Bowl halftime shows have been a bit light on the “special guests” making their way onto the stage, with the only surprise appearance in the last five years being 50 Cent in LA.
Usher has his share of collaborations and given the desire for a trip to Vegas, we might see him bring someone out on stage.
Alicia Keys and Ludacris are the obvious ones for their work on My Boo and Yeah! respectively but the market agrees they are obvious with those two performers priced at $1.30 and $1.45.
Looking at the longer odds, these are a bit more speculative but would anyone be surprised to see Pitbull and/or David Guetta decide to insert themselves into someone else’s moment?
We are almost certain to hear DJ’s Got Us Falling In Love Again (a possible value option for last song at $15.00?) and Pitbull does feature on that one.
The same can apply to Usher’s guest appearance on David Guetta’s Without You and let’s be honest, he’s a DJ so it’s not like he actually has to do anything on stage other than push play on his keyboard and let the actual musicians do all the work.
There’s a few other options to dig through in the market including Usher’s wardrobe choices but these are the five best bets from this market.
BEST BETS
- First Song Performed: My Way @ $2.50
- Over 8.5 Total Songs Performed @ $1.65
- Last Song Performed: DJ’s Got Us Falling In Love Again @ $15.00
- Special Guest: Pitbull @ $6.00 / David Guetta @ $7.00