They say that if you are a reporter, you never want to become the news yourself. For WESH Channel 2 multimedia journalist Zach Maskavich, it remains a battle in ways he certainly could not have predicted.
Super Bowl LV takes place in Tampa on Sunday and reporters across the country are looking for unique angles in their coverage of the big game. Working in nearby Orlando, Maskavich found his niche outside Raymond James Stadium on Friday and recorded some of the sounds from inside. This is how he finally posted a video of Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church’s folk song rehearsal on his Twitter feed, which turned in two minutes and sixteen seconds.
Good gamblers. Here is the timer for using the national anthem. 2:16 # SuperBowl # GoBucs #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/CpJC4gHUPp
– Zach Maskavich (@ZachMaskavich) 5 February 2021
Since the length of the national anthem is a well-known bet for Super Bowl gamblers annually, it is quite valuable information. And in terms of this year’s national anthem, the ear / under sat for about two minutes, depending on the foreign producers, when Maskavich posted his video.
However, once the video started making its rounds, the numbers began to change, according to ESPN. With this handy information now available, bettors scrambled to place bets at professional bettors such as the Australian PointsBet, who had to stop betting due to the overwhelming demand. Meanwhile, Pinnacle Sports from Curacao initially set the over / under set at 1:58, with -110 chances to bet on either side. Within hours of the video being posted, the price had risen to -1,500 before they finally had to stop betting as well. This seems to be the case for many other international foreigners, as such bets are not legal in the US
Maskavich, as you think, started hearing this from gamblers on Twitter.
“I just thought it was funny,” Maskavich told ESPN. ‘Some reactions were hilarious; some people are really crazy.
‘I had the feeling that it would get some action, that would lead to the Super Bowl, and that people like stick games. But I did not think it was going to blow up like it did. People reach out to me and wonder if Vegas paid me to do it, and all these other crazy hypocrites. ‘
Ariel is one of my best friends, she knows a lot more about the gambling industry than I do. But even if my tweet for some reason THE BETTING LANDSCAPE CHANGED … I’m all for it https://t.co/GhCwEyfje5
– Zach Maskavich (@ZachMaskavich) 6 February 2021
Of course, a rehearsal run is a rehearsal run, so that does not mean that the actual national anthem will tune in on Sunday at that time. But if you’m making a friendly bet (of course for functions) and someone who does not know about the video, try trying to get an ear / bottom in about two minutes (Demi Lovato turned on one minute and 49 seconds last year), you might have just the benefit you were looking for.
Meanwhile, as we mentioned, national (or international) attention to Maskavich is not entirely new. You can possibly remember him thanks to an unfortunate moment during a high school football game in 2018 that landed him (and his cross) on SportsCenter’s Not Top 10.
I would never have thought of that in my life @KeithOlbermann would tell that I was hit in the cross on national TV. But here we are #NotTop10 pic.twitter.com/zXyDK7c6AC
– Zach Maskavich (@ZachMaskavich) October 26, 2018
We look forward to seeing Zach go viral again around 2024/2025. We will keep an eye on.
[ESPN]