Pay to Play

There are some ruffled artistic feathers and a bit of a buzz because it may be that the National Football League has asked acts which perform at the Super Bowl halftime show to kick a little back -- either from whatever tour they're on after the show or from some other source.

Often, the Super Bowl act isn't compensated although its expenses may be covered. The NFL's position is, apparently, that acts should be grateful for the exposure they get by being on the halftime show and should be willing to share a token of that gratitude. This makes perfect sense. We all remember how Paul McCartney became a huge megastar after his show in 2005, and how a year later an appearance by a band of English senior citizens made the Rolling Stones a household name.

Although our instinct is to dismiss this action as a fumble-fingered grab for money by a group of team owners whose stupidity grows from their cupidity, there may be something to the idea in general. At the Super Bowl earlier this year, the performers were Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If I'd have watched that, I'd have figured somebody owed me money too.