From marching bands to megastars, the Super Bowl halftime show emerges as a major sports spectacle
ABC News
When the Super Bowl halftime show was born, college marching bands were the main on-field attraction
LOS ANGELES -- Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour.
For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which was once viewed as a humdrum intermission featuring college marching bands. But in time, the midway point of the NFL’s championship game has emerged into one of sport’s biggest spectacles with superstar performances from Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Aerosmith and U2.
“The halftime performance come a long way,” said the Hall of Fame quarterback who played 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and competed in the 1985 Super Bowl. As an NFL analyst, Marino's had a front-row seat to several halftime shows.
“Not a lot of people really watched it,” he continued. “But now, as we head into Super Bowl 58, people love to watch the halftime show.”
In nearly six decades, the halftime festivities have transformed from a family-oriented show with patriotic tunes into entertainment’s biggest stage with top-tier performers, pyrotechnics and superb backup dancers. The 12-to-15 minute performance sometimes attracts more eyeballs than the actual championship game, consistently drawing more than 100 million viewers.
