# NFL wants bands to pay them to perform at Super Bowl. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939 "2014-08-19T21:00:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/21 "2014-08-20T03:11:22Z")
Still, they should get the OSU marching band out there to perform. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/22 "2014-08-20T03:12:45Z")
the half time show is for casual fans anyway maybe they can just get rid of it and have a proper length halftime to get back to the action ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/23 "2014-08-20T04:19:15Z")
The NFL will pay “travel and production expenses”, eh? Let’s think about this… Travel expenses: They’ll pay for a chartered jet to transport the act from it’s last gig, to the Super Bowl, to their next gig, right? That sounds fair. They’ll pay for first class hotel rooms for the act and their crew, including meals, laundry, etc, right? Okay. They’ll pay for ground transportation of personnel and equipment from the airport to the hotel/gig and back as necessary, right? Okay. Production expenses: The act will need instrument and sound technicians. The NFL will pay for that? Makeup and wardrobe people will need to be paid also. The act will need roadies to set up and break down stuff. The NFL will pay for that? It’s a singer? She’ll need musicians to back her up. The NFL will pay the musicians? Back up singers and dancers will need to be paid too. So, the star gets to not only perform for free, but pay for the privilege. And everyone else gets paid. Such a deal. Back in the days not long after the Beatles broke up. Lennon got invited to perform at a “Free Concert”. He asked about some of the details and “Free” didn’t mean what he thought it did. People still had to pay admission because the owners of the venue still wanted their rent. As did the people who supplied the equipment. And the crews who operated and set up the stuff. The bottom line was, the only free thing about it was the promoters expected Lennon to appear for free. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/24 "2014-08-20T05:09:22Z")
If they used a Kickstarter campaign, I bet they could raise the money to get Coldplay to _not_ perform. 😉 I can just imagine them approaching Prince with this type of offer…'cuz that would’ve worked…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/25 "2014-08-20T05:36:23Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Hey, strip clubs charge the dancers. It’s a viable business model in some cases. Oh, is Janet Jackson coming back? 😛 I don’t care either - I watch the Puppy Bowl then. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/26 "2014-08-20T14:10:21Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Serious waste of some bands money. Half-time is when I head for the facilities. Can’t even remember the last time I watched the half-time show. Normally, I agree with you. But last year, Bruno Mars was about the ONLY thing worth watching at the Super Bowl!!! ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/27 "2014-08-20T14:15:11Z")
This may be the break that Up With People has been waiting for! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/28 "2014-08-20T15:43:49Z")
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m old enough to remember Super Bowl 5, in which the entire halftime show was Anita Bryant singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Looks like the NFL wants go back to those Good Old Days. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/29 "2014-08-20T15:59:52Z")
I don’t think Anita’s got the money. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/30 "2014-08-20T16:19:23Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t think Anita’s got the money. > > Regards, > Shodan But there’s probably some latter-day Menachem Riklis with a Pia Zadora-like no-talent bimbo wife who’d wuuuuuv the spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/31 "2014-08-20T18:08:48Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But there’s probably some latter-day Menachem Riklis with a Pia Zadora-like no-talent bimbo wife who’d wuuuuuv the spotlight. And right there is the crux of the problem. Anyone desperate enough to pay for the exposure is sucky enough for us to avoid being exposed. Meh. Halftime is bathroom/kitchen/internet time. If the NFL wants to drive “halftime festivities” farther and farther into irrelevancy, I say let 'em have at it. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/32 "2014-08-20T19:13:56Z")
From the first link in the OP: > [@](#): > > Considering the Halftime Show has only grown more popular in recent years —this year’s performancewith Bruno Mars and theRed Hot Chili Peppersdrew 115.3 million viewers, compared to the 112.2 million who watched the game > [@gnoitall](#): > > Meh. Halftime is bathroom/kitchen/internet time. If the NFL wants to drive “halftime festivities” farther and farther into irrelevancy, I say let 'em have at it. Apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/33 "2014-08-20T19:19:28Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I think they should just get a marching band to come out on the field, and make pictures and words with the way they position themselves on the field. While they play music. > > They never show that part on TV any more; WTF is up with that? > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s college football. Don’t care; it’s the only part of a football game that I’ve ever found to be remotely watchable. And on those rare occasions that I find myself in a room with a television tuned to a COLLEGE football game, I still don’t see it happening. So I still consider it a valid question. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/34 "2014-08-20T19:23:19Z")
So you’re asking why the producers of a sport don’t build their entertainment around the tastes of someone vociferous in their dislike for the sport? I can’t fathom why. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/35 "2014-08-20T19:42:15Z")
It’s a big deal for the “I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials” crowd. But I can’t imagine this going well for the NFL. The Superbowl has gotten huge partly on the backs of big acts like the Rolling Stones and Madonna. Now they want to go back to the Up with People and marching band days? Personally, I could care less. If they want my advice though, this is a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/36 "2014-08-20T23:11:10Z")
It would make the artist a laughingstock, having to pay to perform. Side note: I don’t know anyone who watched just for the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/37 "2014-08-21T06:40:31Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > As I’ve mentioned before, I’m old enough to remember Super Bowl 5, in which the entire halftime show was Anita Bryant singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” > > Looks like the NFL wants go back to those Good Old Days. I never promised you a Rose Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/38 "2014-08-21T07:17:34Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > So you’re asking why the producers of a sport don’t build their entertainment around the tastes of someone vociferous in their dislike for the sport? > > I can’t fathom why. Me neither. I mean, do they want to win me over, or don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/39 "2014-08-21T11:31:20Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > Side note: I don’t know anyone who watched just for the commercials. Not married? My wife watches only for the commercials. In fact, that’s what makes the Super Bowl a family viewing/get together event. Even if you don’t care about the game, it is enjoyable to watch the commercials/halftime show. I see a major decline in viewership if the quality of the halftime show drops. It is there for the non-football fans, and without it the Superbowl goes back to being just another game(that my team won’t be playing in.) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939/40 "2014-08-21T12:04:53Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > It would make the artist a laughingstock, having to pay to perform. Side note: I don’t know anyone who watched just for the commercials. I’m sure no one turns it on for the commercials - but plenty of people watch the commercials because _someone else_ is watching the game. It’s going to be on in my house no matter what- me watching the commercials just means I turn my attention to the TV rather than whatever else I’m doing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-wants-bands-to-pay-them-to-perform-at-super-bowl/695939.md?page=3)