What are mention markets?

Mention markets let you bet on whether specific words, phrases, or names will be spoken during a specific speaking event or broadcast, including the Super Bowl. Think of them as Super Bowl prop bets for the commentary booth. Will the announcers reference Taylor Swift? Will someone say “greatest of all time”? These markets turn the broadcast itself into a betting event, separate from what happens on the field.

What will be said at the Super Bowl betting markets are now live, but with a key structural difference. Kalshi’s markets are scoped specifically to the broadcast announcers. A mention only counts if Super Bowl 60 announcers Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) say it during the game coverage. Polymarket’s global platform (not available to US traders) resolves yes if anyone says the term during the broadcast, including players, coaches, sideline interviews, or in-game audio picked up by field mics.

This distinction matters for pricing. A term like “Taylor Swift” might trade at different odds across platforms not because traders disagree on likelihood, but because Polymarket’s wider resolution criteria could make a mention more likely. When comparing odds or analyzing market efficiency, the resolution rules are as important as the numbers themselves.

How odds and pricing works

The odds tables above display the current probability for each Super Bowl mention term across both Kalshi and Polymarket. 

• Yes represents the price you will pay per contract to bet that the term will be said during the Super Bowl. 
• No represents the price per contract that it won’t be said on-air before the conclusion of the game.

Each correct contract pays out $1 while incorrect ones return $0, meaning you lose your investment. Odds are displayed as implied probability percentages, but you can switch to American odds if that’s your preference. 

If Safety is trading at 98% Yes on Kalshi, this means the market prices a 98% chance the word gets said by Mike Tirico or Cris Collinsworth during the game (at Kalshi). To bet Yes on Safety, you’d pay 98¢ to win $1 if it hits.

Mid-range markets offer more balanced risk. Gatorade at 34% means you’d pay 34¢ to win $1 on Yes, or 66¢ to win $1 on No, though pricing will vary somewhat based on fees. “What a Catch” at 38% is similar. These are early market lines, and odds can shift significantly as the Big Game approaches and traction picks up. As the game unfolds, you will also see drastic price movement as some phrases are uttered, and others have a shortening window of time.

Mention markets to watch

The Comeback spread is significant: Kalshi has Comeback/Come Back at 94.5%, Polymarket at 69%—a 25.5 point gap. This gap will close as we approach Feb. 8. On Kalshi, it only counts if Tirico or Collinsworth say it. On Polymarket, a mic’d-up player or sideline interview can trigger it. 

Concussion tells the story of platform differences: Polymarket has “Concussion” at 81%. Concussion does not have good track record this year, but this is where resolution could matter for this one. Announcers usually avoid the term on-air. It’s almost always phrased as “being evaluated” or “in the tent.” But Polymarket’s anyone-counts rule means a sideline reporter update or ref announcement could trigger it.

Narrative-driven markets to watch:

• Legion of Boom (60.5%) and Russell Wilson (81%) are rematch bets. NBC will absolutely reference Super Bowl XLIX and Seattle’s defense dynasty. Wilson isn’t playing but his name will likely come up in the historical context.
• Gronk/Gronkowski (60.5%) is another callback play. He caught the go-ahead TD in that game and is now a media personality who could appear in broadcast segments.

Wildcards where Polymarket’s rules matter most:

• Trump (78%), Apple (86.5%), President (69%) are possibilities now that Trump announced he will not attend the game. Polymarket’s broader scope makes these more interesting plays given the controversy around why.
• Cardi B (45%) is pure halftime/commercial speculation.

Kalshi vs. Polymarket resolution rules

Understanding these resolution criteria is essential before betting on what’s said during the Super Bowl.

Kalshi’s mention markets resolve based solely on what the designated broadcast announcers say during game coverage. For Super Bowl LX, that means Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on NBC. Pre-game, halftime, and post-game commentary don’t count. Neither do graphics, chyrons, or on-screen text. The term must be spoken aloud by one of those voices during the game broadcast window.

Polymarket uses a wider lens. Their markets resolve yes if the term is spoken by anyone during the broadcast, regardless of who says it. This includes announcers, but also player mic’d-up audio, sideline interviews with coaches, referee announcements, and any other audio that makes it to air. This structural difference is why identical terms often trade at higher yes prices on Polymarket. More voices means more opportunities for a mention.

Both platforms require exact phrasing unless otherwise specified in the market rules. Nicknames, abbreviations, and partial matches typically don’t count unless the market explicitly includes them. Neither platform counts mentions during commercials. Also important to note: both rely on broadcast audio and official transcripts of the broadcast for resolution confirmation, leaving some room for interpretation or error.

Other markets to consider:

Mention markets are only one of the smaller niche markets to bet on for the Big Game. Prediction markets offer a variety of events, all based on specific outcome questions. Our live odds pages compare odds and are updated hourly. 

If looking for promos, you can compare all prediction market promos leading up to the Super Bowl. Kalshi is offering new players $10 free with first $100 in trades when you use our Kalshi referral code DEFI.  We also offer a free football squares generator. No sign-up required. 

Certain words hit more frequently than others

Certain terms consistently price high across mention markets because they’re near-locks to come up in any Super Bowl broadcast. References to previous Super Bowl appearances, championship history, and the host city are standard announcer fare. Player names tied to major storylines also tend to trade at higher pricing because broadcasters build narratives around them throughout the game. 

Sam Darnold is a good example this year. His path from the “I’m seeing ghosts” low point against the Patriots in 2019 to facing them in the Super Bowl is the arc NBC is likely to revisit during the broadcast. Markets connected to players with that kind of narrative tend to price higher because the commentary team has a reason to bring them up beyond just the action on the field. Of course, that also means you have to pay a premium price for a relatively small return due to the high likelihood.

For bettors looking to wager on what’s said during the Super Bowl rather than what happens on the field, mid-range markets between 30% and 60% offer the most balanced risk. These often include pop culture references, specific stats or records within reach, and names adjacent to the main storylines.

Strategy considerations

These are live betting markets, and most of the action happens once the game is underway. Don’t be surprised if volume looks thin in the days leading up to kickoff. Safety, the highest-volume Super Bowl mention market right now, is sitting at just $4K. We’ve seen NFL mention markets at $18K the week before a game explode to $1.3M on game day. The bulk of betting on what’s said during the Super Bowl will happen in real time, particularly as the game moves into the later stages and certain terms start to look like locks or longshots.

Announcing teams also have patterns:

• Cris Collinsworth is known for detailed breakdowns and player anecdotes, which can increase variance on fringe mentions. 
• National broadcasts also lean heavily on established storylines, so tracking the pre-game media narrative gives you a read on what topics are likely to get more airtime.
• Game flow influences mentions directly. A blowout means more filler commentary and deeper dives into background stories; a close game keeps focus tight on the action and could make certain terms like “comeback” etc. more likely. 
• Player performance dictates which names get repeated—a receiver who scores twice will get mentioned far more than one who’s quiet all game.

For Polymarket specifically, the sideline access expands the pool and will likely attract more Super Bowl mention betting than Kalshi. Coaches will get interviewed after scoring drives. Players will get mic’d up. The broadcast will cut to reactions. Any of those moments can trigger a resolution, which is why terms tied to high-profile non-announcers (head coaches, star quarterbacks) carry a little extra weight on that platform.

Finally, watch for line movement in the 48 hours before kickoff. Late money from sharps and volume spikes on specific terms can signal information—whether that’s injury news, a leaked broadcast rundown, or simply coordinated betting action. If you’re going to bet on what announcers say during the Super Bowl, that window is when the market tends to get most efficient.