There are several interesting Superbowl betting props at Bodog focusing on the broadcast of the game itself.  One of the more attractive from a wagering standpoint deals poses the question ‘how many times will the announcers on the broadcast make reference to Hurricane Katrina?’

How Many Times will CBS announcers fully mention Hurricane Katrina during the game?

OVER 2′ -140
UNDER 2′ +110

One of my biggest complaints about how the mainstream media covers sports is their incessant desire to find an emotional ‘soap opera’ type angle in every athletic event.  The coverage of the Olympic games has become almost unwatchable as we’re subjected to ‘up close and personal’ profiles of every competitor that stretches to find some sort of tragedy or crisis in their life that had to be overcome.  While there are sometimes legitimately inspiring stories behind some of these athletes, the networks have been so desperate to manufacture them in *every* event that the legit stories of human triumph are lost in the mix.

Everyone knows about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath, and to be sure the city of New Orleans is finally moving beyond the disaster.  Sports have no doubt played a part in lifting the spirits of the city, and broadcasters won’t hesitate in the least to underscore this point.  In his comments after the NFC Championship game Saints’ head coach Sean Payton evoked the image of Hurricane Katrina:

“This is for everybody in this city. This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It’s not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans.”

As did quarterback Drew Brees:

“In reality, we had to lean on each other in order to survive and in order to get where we are now. The city is on its way to recovery, and in a lot of ways has come back better than ever. We’ve used the strength and resiliency of our fans to go out and play every Sunday and play with the confidence that we can do it, that we can achieve everything we’ve set out to achieve.”

While these comments are relatively low key references to Katrina, you can be sure that the CBS broadcast team won’t be so restrained.  They’ll take every opportunity to beat the viewer over the head with similar themes.  Should the Saints win, they’ll really be working it hard.  Even if they don’t, they should make reference to Katrina often enough to make this bet a winner.

PLAY ‘HOW MANY TIMES WILL ANNOUNCERS MENTION HURRICANE KATRINA’–OVER 2′ -140