Lady Gaga's acclaimed anthem attracts a strange amount of controversy

Ladygaga
Ladygaga

Nearly everyone liked Lady Gaga's national anthem Sunday night — but not everyone loved her timing.

Soon after Gaga finished her performance, students of the Super Bowl began to check their watches. Many of them, as part of a long tradition, had bet on just how long the anthem would last. The over/under was initially, unofficially set at 2:20, far longer than a traditional Super Bowl performance. But Twitter being Twitter, not everyone agreed.

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The Internet's unofficial referees did a play-by-play. The debate was surprisingly fierce and fiery, especially about something so seemingly inconsequential. Then ESPN's Darren Rovell stepped in, arguing that Gaga's first mention of the word 'brave' stopped the timer.

Seemed like a safe assertion, but not everyone agreed. Officials later clocked her in at 2 minutes, 9 seconds.

What do you think, Mashrefs?

BONUS: Forget the Puppy Bowl. This is Hamster Bowl 2016.