On a good Sunday, it seems like either Peyton or Eli Manning — or both! — are in at least 50% of the commercials you’ll see during breaks in the NFL action.
(The other 50%, of course, involve either Travis or Jason Kelce.)
In recent weeks, however, that number seems to have skyrocketed, and Peyton and Eli are now haunting every commercial break. It’s all in support of something called the “Kick of Destiny 3,” and yes, like everything else in the game these days, it has something to do with sports betting.
If you’re trying to wrap your head around what, exactly, the Mannings are hawking this time, let us fill you in.
What is the Kick of Destiny? And What’s the Role of Eli and Peyton Manning?
The Kick of Destiny is a promotion run by sports betting website FanDuel. Basically, it’s a field goal-kicking competition between the Manning brothers — who, it should be noted, are not kickers.
Gamblers have the opportunity to pick which Manning brother they think will win. Choose correctly, and you could earn a few hundred bucks in free bets.
This is not the first year that the Kick of Destiny promotion has run, as two previous installments featured former Patriots great Rob Gronkowski. He wasn’t competing against anyone else, however; gamblers could bet on whether or not Gronk would make the kick.
(For the record, Gronk missed — twice. Again, for all their athletic gifts, Gronkowski and the Manning brothers are decidedly not field goal kickers.)
As in previous years, the competition will take place immediately before the game. However, previous editions of the promotion only revealed the results in a special commercial, whereas this year’s event will boast a longer, more complicated competition that will be aired live.
How the First Two Kicks of Destiny Fared
While Gronk struggled in his two chances at glory, FanDuel’s fortunes fared much differently.
The company estimated that it had roughly 17 million bets placed on last year’s edition of the promotion, and the expectation is that this year’s edition could surpass those numbers.
It should be noted that, while the terms of the first two promotions dictated that free bets would only be awarded if Gronk made the kick, the company nevertheless decided to issue the promotion despite the Hall of Famer’s inability to put the ball through the uprights.
Many current bettors are likely banking on the company rewarding everyone who participates in this year’s promotion, even if they back the wrong Manning.
It’s all part of an attempt on the part of these companies to cash in on the booming American sports betting market. Last year’s Super Bowl saw over $185 million dollars bet with sportsbooks in Vegas alone, representing a 32% increase from the year before.
Many experts feel that number will be eclipsed this year, which is why sites like FanDuel are bringing out the big guns — and it’s hard to find bigger celebrities in the sports world than Peyton and Eli.
The Real Super Bowl Action Now Happens Far Away from the Field
Gambling on the Super Bowl has always been big business, but until recently most of that business happened in the shadows. However, modern sports betting behemoths like FanDuel and DraftKings have brought much of that money into the light, to the tune of billions of dollars wagered on the game each year.
While much of that money is still staked on things like the outcome or final score, prop bets have become more widespread in recent years. Bettors can wager on anything from the length of the national anthem to the songs that will play at the halftime show; according to one sportsbook’s estimates, there will be more than 1,500 props on the menu for this year’s game.
In fact, many of those props have little to do with the game itself. You can wager on the commercials that will play during breaks in the action, the game’s effect on the price of Bitcoin, and more. Some books even took action on last year’s Puppy Bowl (is nothing sacred?).
With all this extraneous betting action distracting from the action on the field, it’s little wonder that betting on retired superstars like Peyton and Eli Manning would be seen as par for the course.
Many experienced sports bettors now feel that your best chance of beating the books lies in your ability to spot savvy Super Bowl props. Indeed, it’s famously difficult to outsmart bookies when it comes to spreads or over/unders, but the best Super Bowl predictions for props are fairly wide open by comparison.
It’s just another in the long line of distractions that the NFL and its broadcast partners have cooked up to make sure that, no matter what happens, you never think about changing the channel.
Forget Peyton and Eli — The Real Winner Will Be the Sportsbooks
There’s little doubt that millions will tune in before kickoff to see Peyton and Eli try their luck at kicking field goals; after all, their TVs will have already been tuned to FOX anyway.
The outcome of the Kick of Destiny will make many of those viewers happy, and could possibly make an equal number sad (although it seems likely that everyone who participates will be rewarded with free bets, regardless of which Manning emerges victorious).
For most of those gamblers, the free bets will be fleeting; that money will be gambled away soon enough. For sportsbooks, however, the effects will likely last much longer. The American sports betting market is expected to top $17 billion this year, thanks in no small part to publicity stunts such as this one.
That means that future Super Bowls will likely be dominated by events just like this one. Whether Kick of Destiny 4 features Travis and Jason Kelce or Michael Jordan and Lebron James is of little importance; what matters is the fact that, for better or worse, sports betting will continue to intrude on the games themselves.
It will be no surprise if the water cooler talk on Monday morning centers around the Kick of Destiny or a Taylor Swift prop bet. The Super Bowl spotlight is no longer squarely on the players or even the commercials; rather, it’s now shared with the opportunity to wager on those same players and advertisements.
The real game may now be played off the field, in complicated algorithms created by giant corporate sportsbooks. One thing will always remain true, however: the odds will forever be in their favor.
