Country music icon Reba McEntire delivered a fantastic rendition of the national anthem during Sunday’s Super Bowl 58. The timing of it, however, caused a bit of a controversy for those who bet on the length.
McEntire did a spirited job with bringing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to life at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, and it really was just as good as Chris Stapleton’s version of the song last year.
McEntire’s performance clocked in around 95 seconds, which means it was a close betting victory for those who thought it would go longer than 90 seconds.
Now THIS is a National Anthem pic.twitter.com/yLg8dcKd8j
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) February 11, 2024
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM GOES OVER 90.5 SECONDS 🤑 pic.twitter.com/3WkhtCmuHY
— br_betting (@br_betting) February 11, 2024
But just as everyone who bet on the over was getting ready to celebrate, BetMGM clarified that the clock stopped after the first time McEntire sang the word “brave” which she then repeated. That took a crucial five seconds off her time and officially cashed the under.
National Anthem UNDER 90.5 seconds. ✅
2nd “brave” does not count. pic.twitter.com/OdVBzigETV
— John Ewing (@johnewing) February 11, 2024
This was a heck of a performance from McEntire, one of the better performances we’ve had in recent Super Bowls. Kudos to her!
If you put a bet down on the national anthem time being the over, then you walked away a bit richer than you were before the performance started.
If you didn’t get this one, don’t worry. There’s always next year!
