There seems to be this weird expectation Lady Gaga is going to protest during tonight’s Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show. Gaga was heavily involved in Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and was pretty outspoken regarding her feelings about President Donald Trump. But she’s been pretty silent on what the 13-minute performance will involve, except to tell reporters it’ll focus on her values.
Both Gaga and the NFL had to issue several denials last month that the performer was told to not get political during tonight’s performance. One denial to CNN included the NFL saying those who claimed Gaga was ordered to be nonpolitical were lying.
“This is unsourced nonsense from people trying to stir up controversy where there is none. The Super Bowl is a time when people really come together. Lady Gaga is focused on putting together an amazing show for fans and we love working with her on it; we aren’t going to be distracted by this.”
Of course, Vegas is in on the action, which proves you can vote on anything. Via CNN.
Betting site Sports Interaction is offering a payout of more than double — a return of $2.10 on a winning $1 bet — that the singer will mention either the word “president” or “Trump” during her performance, and $1.67 on a $1 bet that she will not.
Other wagers include whether she will wear a pink hat in spirit with the recent global Women’s March (offering a higher payout of $3.25), whether she will wear an “I voted Hillary” T-shirt ($26), whether her hair will be a color other than blonde ($3.4) and finally whether she will show up on stage stark naked (a long shot at $101).
There are definitely conservatives who are worried about what’s going to happen tonight, specifically commentator Bill Whittle.
I’ve also seen Trump supporters on Twitter say they’re going to boycott Pepsi (which is the sponsor of the halftime show) even though Gaga was booked by the NFL. That’s like using a high-pressure waterhose to put a small campfire out. A little too extreme, if you ask me.
Honestly, who cares if Gaga gets political? She’s got every right to because of the First Amendment, just like everyone who doesn’t want to hear Gaga can change the channel to something else. All these people going nuts over what Gaga will or won’t do need to chillax, and put away the rage for a few moments. Just watch the game, and go elsewhere when Gaga gets on stage. Odin knows I’m not really gonna pay attention to the performance because I’ll either be reading or talking to people.
Gaga isn’t the performer I’d book for the Super Bowl (I’d go with Amon Amarth because Viking metal), but the NFL believes this will get them the biggest exposure because she is pretty popular. This is something they’ve always done, especially after the ridiculous Indiana Jones-inspired show from 1995. Let ’em do it. If no one watches it…no one watches it. But honestly, who cares what Gaga does during the halftime show? I sure don’t. You probably shouldn’t either.