College Football Playoff will get a Super Bowl-style halftime show

The new halftime concert will be held at a park outside the stadium, and will air on ESPN.
during the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

In case you needed more reasons to think amateurism is an illusion, the College Football Playoff is now bringing a Super Bowl-style halftime show to its championship game, starting next season in Atlanta.

ESPN has not yet booked a musical guest, but they are looking for “an A-list performer with broad appeal,” according to the Associated Press.

In the past, each participating school’s marching band would perform at halftime. That tradition will continue. The marching bands will perform inside the stadium at halftime, and their performances will air on the ESPN family of networks. The new halftime concert will be held in a park outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and that performance will air on ESPN:

“Traditions are an important part of college football,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement to the AP on Monday “This rich culture includes marching bands performing at halftime.”

Hancock said ESPN approached CFP officials with the idea of a concert in Centennial Olympic Park at halftime as part of the national championship game broadcast and live watch party. Fans without tickets to the game will be able to watch the game and attend the concert in Centennial Park for free.

“This will be a win-win, enhancing the viewing experience for a broad section of fans at home and in the park, while maintaining the culture of the game inside the stadium,” Hancock said.

So this is somewhat similar to the Final Four’s music festival, but different. The natural comparison to the Super Bowl puts some extra pressure on the CFP to truly get an A-list star to perform. We’ll see if they can pull it off. In recent years, the Super Bowl has had performers like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars.

[Associated Press]

About Jesse Kramer

Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.

1 thought on “College Football Playoff will get a Super Bowl-style halftime show

  1. This seems stupid the fans at the Game will not be able to see this halftime show unless they tune in on their phones to watch. also this clearly means the MEGACAST is not going away it just has more things they can show.

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