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The Weeknd Super Bowl Halftime Show 2021 Prop Odds and Predictions
February 7, 2021
The Super Bowl LV showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers promises to be a great one. However, it may not be the most memorable portion of the Super Bowl for some fans. Last year's game between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers was great too, but some fans more vividly remember the halftime performance of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
This year's performance will be from Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd. The Weeknd has engaged in performance art over the past several months, often appearing as a character created for his album After Hours, though still showing up as himself—and without a bloodied or bandaged visage—from time to time.
"Why not play with the character and the artist and let those lines blur and move around?" The Weeknd asked in an interview with Jem Aswad of Variety.
It's unclear which version of The Weeknd will appear at the Super Bowl on Sunday, but fans will have opportunities to bet on what his show entails.
Here we'll examine some of the top prop bets for that show available at Bovada.
Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Pros
Will The Weeknd Mention Donald Trump?
- Yes +600 (wager $100 to win $600)
- No -1200 (wager $1,200 to win $100)
Will The Weeknd Mention Canada?
- Yes +360
- No -675
Will a Football Be Used as a Prop?
- Yes +375
- No -600
Will The Weeknd Mention Joe Biden?
- Yes +650
- No -1400
*Odds current as of 12 p.m. ET on Sunday
It's worth noting that a few other props have been circulating, though many books have pulled them from the boards. A possible set list was leaked, which immediately swayed the action of a prop for the first song performed during the show.
"That began earlier this week when an apparent tweet moved 'Save Your Tears' from opening odds of +1200 all the way down to +200. Not long after, most betting sites had pulled the first song odds altogether. Many of those same sportsbooks haven't put the market back up yet," Jason Logan of Covers.com wrote.
Indeed, a quick search shows that many major sportsbooks—including Bovada—no longer offer song-specific props.
Props involving potential guest appearances are also largely absent. This is because The Weeknd remains the only confirmed performer and continues to insist that it will stay that way.
"There wasn't any room to fit it in the narrative and the story I was telling in the performance," The Weeknd told NFL Network. "So there's no special guests, no."
If The Weeknd is indeed continuing to showcase the character creation he has presented in music videos for songs like "Save Your Tears," then that character is likely to be the centerpiece of the show. Having a guest star like Drake or Kenny G would pull the spotlight from The Weeknd's preferred narrative.
So, my guess is that this will truly be a solo act.
And with so much focus on the story and the visual artistry that The Weeknd is trying to present, there won't be much room for talking about politicians or even The Weeknd's native country of Canada.
Picking no for all of these props feels like the way to go.
However, there's a chance that we could see the Weeknd with a football at some point during the performance—though its use as a "prop" may be open to interpretation.
The Weeknd recently collaborated with the NFL, Bravado and Roc Nation to create Super Bowl-related merchandise for his webstore.
Could one of those same footballs appear during the show? It's possible, and this feels like the only prop bet where picking yes is a viable option.
Given the unpredictability of The Weeknd's performance, it may be best to avoid props altogether this year and enjoy what the acclaimed singer and songwriter has in store for his fans. He has reportedly spent $7 million of his own money to ensure the show is his own creation.
"We've been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl," he said, per Katie Bain of Billboard.
As mentioned in the opening, expect this halftime performance to be a memorable one.