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NFL’s Half-Time Show Sports News

NFL’s Half-Time Show – What to Expect This Year

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 03 February 2023

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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The big game in the NFL isn’t just one of the year’s biggest sporting events that attract millions of bettors to the best NFL Sportsbooks. It also serves as an entertainment platform for some of the world’s most popular musicians, an advertising platform for some of the biggest companies in the world, and a marketing platform for some of the upcoming blockbusters.

The big game’s halftime show is often just as highly anticipated as the actual game, with the musical act, in particular, getting a lot of attention. Last year’s big game LVI halftime show at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, was one of the most memorable in recent times.

It was the first hip-hop-themed big game halftime show, and some of California’s finest artists of the last 30 years headlined the event. To have just one of these performers would’ve been remarkable, but to get Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Anderson Paak sharing the stage was extraordinary.

Many major media outlets like the BBC, Rolling Stone, The Independent, The New York Times, and The Guardian rated it as one of the greatest big game halftime shows. These artists shaped the west coast hip-hop scene, and it’ll be difficult to top something like this in the big game LVII, but if anyone could top it, it’s the lead performer for this year’s halftime show.

Rihanna’s long-awaited return

The Barbadian icon will be making a return to the music industry after a six-year hiatus. One of the most recognizable faces on the planet, Rihanna’s a nine-time Grammy winner and the second best selling female music artist of all time.

To call her a mere pop icon would do her a disservice. She has seamlessly mixed R&B, pop, reggae, hip-hop, and EDM over the years. She has also transcended her musical origins and is seen as a fashion icon. In fact, one of the reasons she took a break from music was to build her fashion and beauty empire with Fenty. According to Forbes, she is the wealthiest female musician on the planet.

This was a theme in last year’s big gamel, and it looks like the NFL wants to stick with that – noughties hits like ‘Umbrella’ will almost certainly make the tracklist.

There aren’t many musicians who have Rihanna’s aura, and she seems like the perfect person to step in for the halftime show after last year’s line-up. This will also be her first big performance since the birth of her son, which should add another layer of emotion to the performance.

Of course, the halftime show won’t just be about Rihanna.

NFL has always been ad season

The big game is the most-watched sports event in the US, so companies go out of their way for an advertisement spot during the halftime show. Alcohol brands will dominate these spots – the likes of Rémy Cointreau, Diageo, and Molson Coors will get some time to show off their signature drinks.

Busch Light and Bud Light will also get some screen time, but the celebrities promoting them are yet to be revealed. Actor Kevin Bacon will promote Budweiser. Heineken will be partnering with Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantomania. Anheuser-Busch has revealed that tennis icon Serena Williams and legendary actor Brian Cox will promote some of their brands.

Marvel won’t be the only superhero movie juggernaut promoting a movie. Warner Bros. Discovery will provide a teaser of The Flash starring Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, and Michael Keaton.

Some of the biggest munchies brands will also get a spot. The list includes Pepsi Zero Sugar, PopCorners (this ad will star Breaking Bad duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul), Doritos (starring rapper Jack Harlow), Pringles, Avocados From Mexico, M&M’s, Planters, and Hellman’s.

Of course, no sports event today can function without a few betting ads. DraftKings have got a spot starring Kevin Hart, and FanDuel have got one with NFL legend Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. Finally, the likes of Rakuten, Procter & Gamble (starring a mystery celebrity), Booking.com, and Squarespace will round things up.

The NFL wouldn’t be what it is without the halftime show – in many ways, the event is a worldwide advert of American values.