Prop Bets

Prop Bets for Super Bowl XLVIII

Prop Bets Make the World (& the Super Bowl) Go Round

As much as I love the NFL’s final battle and am enamored with the question of who gets to hoist up the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the very end, there are other things that keep my attention come Sunday, ranked in this order: PROP BETS, hilarious tweets, Bud Light, guacamole, commercials, team-colored macaroons, the halftime show, the guy who looks cuter and cuter after every drink that I think I want to make out with.

The reason I don’t take to sports betting often is because I’m that dumbass that bets with passion. I know so much about sports, yet I throw all that potentially monetary knowledge out the window and bet based on a frivolous gut feeling because there’s no way my team can lose, and in the end, I always lose. But come prop bet time, I have no inside knowledge. I have absolutely no idea if Jay-Z is going to join Beyonce on stage or how many times they are going to show the Harbaugh parents on TV or if there are going to be any streakers on the field, so I actually, maybe, have a shot. Last year sports fans bet a record $98.9 million at Nevada casinos on Sunday’s game, and it wasn’t all just on the over/under.

And prop bets have become a thing, about as much as crying and drink throwing has become a thing on The Bachelor and condoms are a thing in Olympic Village. If it’s happening during the game, leading up to it or at the MVP ceremonies, odds are (get it?) you can put money on it. Prop bets, otherwise known as side bets or novelties are truly becoming a big deal.

Some of the biggest and most random prop bets from last year even included which team The President would pick to win (Ravens -290 | 49ers +210) and other frivolous segments like whether or not Beyonce would be showing cleavage when she performed her first song (Yes -275 | No +215).

You could even try your hand at wild inaccurate assumptions at what color Gatorade will be dumped on the head coach of the winning team (Yellow, Clear/Water, Orange, Red, Green, Blue – you name it). Last year, probably the craziest prop bet we saw was whether or not any Baltimore or San Francisco player on the active roster would be arrested during the week leading up to the game (the line was 5/1).

So if you’re not in Vegas or don’t already have a bookie on speed dial, you can set up your bets online, but be warned – last year I thought it was in the bag that the Harbaugh brothers would hug it out at the end of the game – I bet my rent on it, and they did not. They didn’t even cover the over for the handshake! That was a tough month.

Here are a few of the fun prop bets from Bovada’s website:

Who will be seen first on TV after kickoff?

• Erin Andrews -140
• Pam Oliver Even

Will the announcers say the word “marijuana” during the game?

• Yes +350
• No -600

Which song will Bruno Mars perform first?

• Grenade 11/2
• Just The Way You Are 9/1
• Locked Out Of Heaven 4/5
• Marry You 12/1
• The Lazy Song 12/1
• Treasure 3/1
• Gorilla 10/1

What will Bruno Mars be wearing on his head at the start of his halftime performance?

• Fedora -160
• Fur Hat +500
• Tuque +1000
• No hat +200

Will Richard Sherman be interviewed on field after the game by Erin Andrews on the live FOX broadcast?

• Yes +200
• No -300

Will Michael Crabtree mention Richard Sherman in a tweet anytime from kickoff until final whistle?

• Yes +300
• No -500

Last year the prop bets hash tag generated 10,000 tweets per second at its peak, so it could be more interesting than the game if Peyton goes off. Let’s call a spade a spade: when it comes to prop bets, we’re all degenerates.

This article first ran on the sport’s section of CBS Man Cave Daily, under The Blonde Side’s column. Click here to see the original article.