It’s one of modern society’s strangest quirks: every year, Americans by the thousands gamble on the length of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl.
This year’s performer was Chris Stapleton, one of mainstream country music’s most critically acclaimed artists and an eight-time Grammy winner. Stapleton brought a soulful, guitar-centric approach to Francis Scott Key’s patriotic song, and the performance clocked in at two minutes and one second—hitting the betting under.
The performance drew positive reviews online and moved Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to tears, as Stapleton set the table for a compelling matchup between the Chiefs and Philadelphia. It followed a rendition of "America the Beautiful" from Babyface and of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Sheryl Lee Ralph.
The last five Super Bowl national anthems—performed by Mickey Guyton, Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, Demi Lovato, Gladys Knight, and Pink—came in at 1:51, 2:16, 2:11, 2:11 and 2:01, respectively.
