SUPER PERFORMANCES
Texans aside, Houston finds itself second on this all-time Super Bowl list
Jan 26, 2021, 2:41 pm
Lady Gaga's album sales skyrocketed. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images. Composite by Brandon Strange
The NFL, and most everybody outside of Green Bay, Wisc. and Buffalo, N.Y., the NFL's two smallest markets, got their wish:
A dream matchup between Tampa Bay vs. Kansas City, and the greatest quarterback ever Tom Brady, vs. the greatest now Patrick Mahomes, in Super Bowl LV, which should be played in Las Vegas (LV) but will settle for Tampa, the first time a team will play the Super Bowl in its home stadium.
Records are made to be shattered, and plenty should fall Feb. 8. For sure Super Bowl LV will have the smallest in-stadium attendance, only 22,000 fans, including 7,500 invited vaccinated health care workers. The current low-water mark is 61,946 for the first Super Bowl in 1967, when the game wasn't even called the Super Bowl. It was officially the "AFL-NFL Championship Game." It didn't become the "Super Bowl" until 1970.
LV could become the highest-rated and most-watched (they're different measurements) Super Bowl ever. The current champ for highest-rated was Super Bowl XVI, when San Francisco defeated Cincinnati and pulled a 49.1 Nielsen number in 1982. So much for that nonsense that Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Finals need Top 10 market teams to draw a rating.
The most-watched honor goes to Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, when 114 million viewers watched the Patriots pull a rabbit out of their hat to beat the Seahawks on a last-minute interception.
Fun facts to know and share about the Super Bowl's dominance in U.S. television history. Twenty-nine of the 30 most-watched shows ever have been Super Bowls. The only non-Super Bowl show to sneak into the Top 30 was the M*A*S*H finale in1983. It ranks No. 9 all-time with 105 million viewers.
Here's a TV trivia question you won't get, but you'll say "Oh, yeah" when you find out the answer: what single televised sports event, not counting Super Bowls, had the most viewers ever?
Ready? It was the ladies figure skating finals of the 1994 Winter Olympics, featuring Nancy Kerrigan and America's Sweetheart Tonya Harding. For the record, the gold medal went to Oksana Baiul of Russia. Kerrigan got the silver and Chen Lu of China grabbed bronze. Harding didn't earn a medal after suffering a devastating broken shoelace.
Super Bowl LV will air on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo in the booth. Those two are the best, except for Nantz.
Now for LV's halftime show, starring The Weeknd. Will The Weeknd ride the game's coattails and set viewing records, too? Super Bowl halftime shows have their own ratings and sometimes they don't parallel the game's viewership.
The all-time halftime champ is Katy Perry with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot from the 2015 Super Bowl. More than 120 million fans, more fans than watched the actual game, watched Perry ride a 16-foot robot lion while singing her hit "Roar."
Second place goes to Lady Gaga from right here in Houston. About 117 million people watched her jump off the roof of NRG Stadium – seemingly. It was pre-recorded magic.
Weird fact: Super Bowl halftime acts do not get paid for their performance. So why do they do it? The Super Bowl airs in 180 countries and the acts usually enjoy a spike in album and concert ticket sales. Lady Gaga's album sales skyrocketed 1,000 percent after her halftime show. Other top half time shows: Coldplay with Beyonce and Bruno Mars with 115 million viewers in 2016, Bruno Mars with the Red Hot Chili Peppers with 114 million viewers in 2014, and Madonna with Cee Lo Green LMFAO, M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj with 113 million viewers in 2012.
So you know, Bruno Mars, star of two of the top-rated halftime shows in history, took his stage name from pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino. Apparently when he was 2 years old, Mars resembled the "Abruzzi Strongboy" and his father nicknamed him Bruno.
Not every artist jumps at the chance to play the Super Bowl. Last year, Pink, Rihanna and Cardi B said no thanks. All three protested the NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick and the league's lack of support for social issues. Instead, the NFL invited Jennifer Lopez and Shakira who tore it up in one of the more acclaimed halftime shows. It's not like Pink needed the exposure. Her 2019 tour raked in $215 million, finishing as the top moneymaking worldwide jaunt.
The Weeknd's "After Hours Tour" is scheduled to stop at Toyota Center on July 22. Supporting acts are Sabrina Claudio and Don Toliver. Tickets ranging from $30 to $450 are on sale now at toyotacenter.com.
After 54 Super Bowl halftime shows, who's left that hasn't already played "The Big Game," as businesses like Gallery Furniture are obligated to call the Super Bowl? If you want to use "Super Bowl" in a promotion, you must pay the NFL. It's so silly. I'm waiting for Progressive Insurance to buy the word "Christmas" and charge Mariah Carey to sing "All I Want For Christmas is You."
Who would be your choice to play the 2022 Super Bowl?
The Who, Stones, McCartney, Springsteen, U2 and most heavyweight classic rock acts have had their turn.
The hottest "current" acts who've never done the Super Bowl include Taylor Swift, Drake, Harry Styles, BTS, Luke Combs, Billie Eilish and the judges from NBC's The Voice: Blake Shelton, John Legend, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, etc.
Historic, still-active superstars who've never played the Super Bowl include Garth Brooks (156 million albums sold in the U.S.), the Eagles (120 million), Billy Joel (85 million), Elton John (79 million), and AC/DC (75 million).
The top-selling female artists of all-time are Barbra Streisand (69 million albums) and Mariah Carey (66 million), neither with a Super Bowl halftime on their resume.
Carey did sing the national anthem in 2002, however. In 1977, one time only, the national anthem was not performed before the Super Bowl. Vicki Carr sang "America the Beautiful."
The only performers to double-double the national anthem and halftime show are Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
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Jose Altuve powers Astros past Tigers with two-run homer
Apr 28, 2025, 10:25 pm
Through the first month of the season, the Houston Astros' offensive struggles are becoming impossible to ignore — especially when compared to division rivals like the Seattle Mariners.
Isaac Paredes currently leads the Astros with a .392 slugging percentage, which ranks just 88th overall in Major League Baseball. Jeremy Peña isn't far behind, sitting 93rd at .388. For context, not one Astro has cracked the .400 slugging mark, while the Mariners boast four players who have — though a few haven’t officially qualified for leaderboards.
Power outage
The power disparity is stark. The Mariners have already blasted 42 home runs this season — double the Astros’ total of just 21. Houston, in fact, ranks 27th in home runs, 26th in OPS, and 26th in slugging across all of Major League Baseball, dead last among AL West teams. Paredes is the only Astro with at least four home runs, while the Mariners have six such players.
The lineup issues are even deeper. Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz — both expected to provide significant offensive contributions — are batting under .200, placing them among the 22 worst averages in the league. Jose Altuve, typically a steady force, is also underperforming by his standards. His .310 on-base percentage is his lowest since the shortened COVID season, and he has only managed five extra-base hits thus far.
Should Joe Espada consider playing Altuve at second base more often?
With second base production sagging — Mauricio Dubón and Brendan Rodgers have failed to provide much punch — the Astros could face a difficult decision: increase Altuve’s time at second to open up opportunities for bats like Chas McCormick or Zach Dezenzo. While the organization has preferred to manage Altuve’s workload at second base carefully, their hand may be forced if the offense continues to sputter. At this point, another month of this and all bets are off.
On the pitching side, there’s some potential good news. Lance McCullers Jr. is nearing a return after an impressive rehab start and could rejoin the team during their series in Chicago. Meanwhile, Forrest Whitley has suffered another setback with a knee injury. A major question for Houston is which of the two — McCullers or Whitley — will be able to make a real impact this season. Given Whitley's struggles to stay healthy, McCullers appears the safer bet.
Don't forget the Astros' biggest goal for this season
Behind the scenes, the Astros’ front office remains focused on a bigger-picture goal: getting under the luxury tax threshold. With several large contracts set to come off the books after the season, Houston appears committed to resetting financially — even if that means enduring some growing pains in the short term.
For now, though, the Astros find themselves in unfamiliar territory: chasing the division both in the standings and at the plate.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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