A journalist who thought he provided Super Bowl players with an internal service sings a different tune after facing the reaction.
Zach Maskavich, of WESH 2 News in Central Florida, posted a Twitter video on Friday in which he timed the live rehearsal of the national anthem from outside Raymond James Stadium, site of the 2021 Super Bowl.
The duet’s performance, performed by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church, was timed by Maskavich at 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
In the game world, the length of the anthem is a popular Super Bowl bet, so it’s very important information. Maskavich’s Twitter account has 1,687 followers, but his video had more than 585,000 views at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Before the video went viral, the excess / bass of the anthem was about two minutes, giving or taking a second, according to AwfulAnnouncing.com. But that soon changed as the rise in money was reported. This increased the odds of a book from -110 on each side to -1,500 at the top, forcing some bets to stop betting on that prop.
According to ESPN, “Maskavich’s teammates had asked him to monitor inside information on everything from the color of Gatorade used by the teams to information on musical performances before the game and the half.”
Maskavich has discovered what many journalists already know is true about social media: people can be cruel when they hide behind anonymity. His answers are full of anger for influencing the lines of sports books.
“He had the feeling he would gain a little traction, until he got to the Super Bowl, and people liked props bets,” Maskavich told ESPN. “But I didn’t think he would explode like he did. People approach me and wonder if Vegas had paid me to do it and all these other crazy messes. ”