‘Alternative’ Super Bowl Halftime Shows
Added on Jan 23, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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The NFL may be trying to become a little more ‘hip’ after several years of dismal halftime shows in the wake of Janet Jackson’s infamous ‘wardrobe malfunction’ but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of Super Bowl halftime shows have sucked and this one will likely be no different. Personally, I have no gripe with the pop band the Black Eyed Peas who’ll do the honors of entertaining at halftime of the NFL’s championship game but they could be using that time for so many better things. Those of us with an interest in sports betting can always use the time to make some plays on the second half but since I’m thinking of the greater good of all people, the NFL has a responsibility to provide better entertainment. Between the Black Eyed Peas at halftime and the post game special episode of “Glee” you’d think the entertainment had been planned around a figure skating competition and not NFL football.
While the NFL may not giveth the public what it needs, fortunately there are those in the entertainment marketplace that will. Here’s some of the better ‘alternative’ Super Bowl half time shows.
LINGERIE BOWL:
Lingerie football has been re-packaged into a semi-legitimate sport, but until recently it was basically a one-off game shown on PPV during the Super Bowl halftime. During this time, the emphasis was more on the women than any sort of football competition. Now it’s the championship game of the Lingerie Football League and there’s a bigger emphasis on being an actual competitive sport. Here’s some highlights of last year’s game:
THE BUTT BOWL:
More specifically, Beavis and Butthead’s Butt Bowl. MTV’s classic cartoon duo provided alternative Super Bowl entertainment between 1994 and 1996. I’m working on getting the full video of one (hopefully all) of the ‘Butt Bowl’ programs for our pre-Super Bowl festivities but for now here’s the promo clips that aired on MTV.
WWE–ROCK VS. MANKIND EMPTY ARENA MATCH:
Before Dwayne Johnson became a movie star he was featured in an empty arena match against Mick “Mankind” Foley during the halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII. This WWE pro wrestling extravaganza was actually one of the most successful halftime ‘counterprogramming’ efforts in history drawing 5 million viewers. We’ll give more backstory on this and post the full match during the leadup to this year’s game. Here’s the first few minutes:
THE PUPPY BOWL:
The Puppy Bowl is pretty much the best thing ever. Basically, its a simulated football game between two teams of puppies that has appeared on the Animal Planet network for the past six years. Seriously, its worth recording and keeping on your Tivo. Not only is it a lot of fun to watch, all of the puppies are from rescue groups and Animal Planet uses the show to promote animal adoption and rescue so it’s basically a win/win for everyone involved. We’ll talk more about the Puppy Bowl in the lead up to the game. To the best of my knowledge, Bodog won’t be taking action on the Puppy Bowl but you never know!
Here’s the ‘starting lineup’ and the ‘MVP’ for last year’s Puppy Bowl. Like I said, it’s pretty much the best thing ever:
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