Don't blame it all on Janet Jackson's exposed breast.
That infamous wardrobe malfunction (or was it?) 13 years ago was when the Super Bowl halftime show officially became a potential lightning rod of controversy and a political stage rather than background music while you went to get more food and took a pee.
It was a gradual evolution, says
Dewhirst has done a lot of research into branding and marketing at the Super Bowl and that field has study has spilled over to what the halftime show has become over the years.
When the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons meet Sunday in a game watched by an estimated 110 million people, a lot of eyes will be on pop superstar Lady Gaga, and whether she will use centre stage to not only sing, but express her well-known anti-Donald Trump views.
Dewhirst is intrigued by what might happen.
"She's been very coy on what she's going to do at the halftime show and there's been all kinds of rumours that the NFL might try and censor what she might or might not say," Dewhirst said.
Performers at the Super Bowl aren't paid. But the halftime show is a great way to promote a new album or kick off a world tour - both of which Lady Gaga is doing. It also offers artists a chance to expose their music to a new audience.
But it can also offer a stage for controversial comment, as the Janet Jackson event taught us and Lady Gaga could do.
"For the first few Super Bowls the halftime show was actually marching band," said Dewhirst in discussing its evolution.
"They've been a time to refresh on chicken wings and beers and go to the washroom. Gradually, over time, the game, the commercials and the halftime show have all become spectacles where money is no object.
A spectacle can be a great performance, but it can also be a spectacle in its controversy, Dewhirst said..
Janet Jackson was the first to find that out.
"There were a number of people very upset by the amount of exposure during what is seen as a family event," Dewhirst said of the
"Following Janet Jackson and the wardrobe malfunction, the performer the following year was Paul McCartney. Obviously well known and very talented, but also considered a very safe choice following all the controversy."
The NFL has a very strong patriotic image and a lot of followers who would support Trump, Dewhirst points out, and comments against the president during an NFL broadcast likely wouldn't be appreciated.
"Certainly they would want to avoid anything that would be seen as very controversial," he said.
Lady Gaga was obviously booked before Trump won the presidency, Dewhirst said, wondering out loud of she would have been booked had Trump's controversial ascent been known.
"The halftime show offers an opportunity to deliver a message. What that message is remains to be seen," Dewhirst said.
One things for sure, filling up the nacho bowl and that trip to the bathroom might have to wait this year.
Stay tuned.
