--- description: Based on no scientific rubric at all title: 5 Best Reactions to the NFL's "Pay to Play" Superbowl Halftime Scheme image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d2ecce81bb9b383/6986a020e8524b9f8c6045a9/466652415.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [NFL](/tag/nfl/) ## NFL Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 5 Best Reactions to the NFL's 'Pay-to-Play' Superbowl Halftime Scheme  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2014 1:17 AM CUT  Fireworks light up MetLife Stadium at the end of the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Fireworks light up MetLife Stadium at the end of the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.John Moore—Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2014 1:17 AM CUT The National Football League is planning to introduce at least one significant change to its halftime show at the Superbowl: in order to perform, superstar acts will [pay](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/08/19/rihanna-katy-perry-coldplay-on-super-bowl-halftime-shortlist/ "undefined") for the privilege. According to The Wall Street Journal, the league is considering three acts for its next halftime extravaganza in early 2015: Katy Perry, Rihanna and Coldplay. But unlike in previous years, these performers have been asked to shill out dough in the form of post-Super Bowl tour income or another “financial contribution.” The news was not received well in some quarters, but some met it with more humor than others. And so, we bring you: the 6 best reactions on Twitter to the NFL’s new “pay to play” scheme, based on no scientific rubric at all and entirely on this writer’s whim. > [](https://twitter.com/p%5Fis%5Fsilent/status/501889689981169664) > [](https://twitter.com/PeytonsHead/status/501792072584921089) > [](https://twitter.com/janesports/status/501824492755513345) > [](https://twitter.com/shanetobin/status/501789932025700352) > [](https://twitter.com/wonderingsound/status/501782054619455488) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3146477/nfl-halftime-rihanna-twitter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3146477/nfl-halftime-rihanna-twitter/"},"headline":"5 Best Reactions to the NFL's 'Pay-to-Play' Superbowl Halftime Scheme","datePublished":"2014-08-20T01:17:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:45:29.513Z","description":"Based on no scientific rubric at all","url":"https://time.com/3146477/nfl-halftime-rihanna-twitter/","keywords":["NFL","Katy Perry","Super Bowl topic","Rihanna"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d2ecce81bb9b383/6986a020e8524b9f8c6045a9/466652415.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d2ecce81bb9b383/6986a020e8524b9f8c6045a9/466652415.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"An Aerial View Of Super Bowl XLVIII","caption":"An Aerial View Of Super Bowl XLVIII","creditText":"John Moore—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/nfl/","name":"NFL"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3146477/nfl-halftime-rihanna-twitter/","name":"5 Best Reactions to the NFL's 'Pay-to-Play' Superbowl Halftime Scheme"}}]}] ```