I am in a struggle with the NFL to agree with their recent choices of halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl. First, I would like to state that I am a fan of The Who (and the past six acts that have performed at halftime of the Super Bowl), but The Who just looked old and out of place and they tried to hide it with a flashy light show behind them. Most of you have noticed every act since the notorious “wardrobe malfunction” has been a “safe” older singer or band that is at least 20 years past their prime, in a pop music sense. It’s apparent that these halftime shows could use some youth and exuberance.

As the best run professional sports league, certainly in America, and maybe globally, the NFL uncharacteristically refuses to push the envelope. You can certainly understand why halftime shows have gone safer. After Janet Jackson was exposed, much of the talk was taken away from a superb Super Bowl between the Patriots and Panthers, and instead was deflected to controversy of a mili-second PG-13 glitch in attire preparation that Justin Timberlake was not briefed on. Another plausible cause for the push towards an older audience was to attract the demographic (35-50) that will spend money on commercial advertisement products as opposed to a younger age group. However, the NFL’s goal should be to grow the sport by attracting a younger, newer audience. The NFL is hip and needs a musical act to compliment that. I am disappointed that the NFL has gone so safe after one slip up.
The Super Bowl is the most watched television event in America, and in most years, the world. It quadruples the viewership of the Grammy’s, an event where you have the most popular musical acts of ‘now’ perform. If the Lifetime Achievements Award winners don’t perform at the Grammys, why should they perform at the Super Bowl? The Super Bowl is America’s most popular sport so why not compliment that with America’s most popular musicians.

Many agree that the best Super Bowl halftime show was Super Bowl XXXV where you at least combined some old with some new. That was headlined by Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Nelly, Mary J. Blige and NSYNC. These were the most popular artists that year. The time has come and gone for The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Prince, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Let’s go back to the days where the Super Bowl was a stage where the biggest acts of today can perform on the biggest stage there is.