Editing Halftime show (section)

== Gridiron football ==

A halftime show is a traditional element in an [[American football]] and [[Canadian football]] game. During the interval between the second and third quarters (normally 20 minutes) some form of entertainment is presented on the field. The entertainment frequently consists of performances by marching bands.

At [[secondary education|high school]] and most [[college football|college]] games, the school bands of the two competing teams perform at halftime with the marching band of the visiting team performing first followed by the marching band of the home team. Often, the cheerleaders and/or a dance team will perform. Other activities may also take place, and these vary widely.  Until sometime in the early 1980s, these shows were typically included as part of the broadcast if the game was televised; since that time, it has become traditional for TV networks to devote the halftime to a roundup of other games' scores as well as providing analysis.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

During a professional football game, a high school or college band may be brought in to perform. For the [[Super Bowl]] and [[Grey Cup]] games, an elaborate show involving musicians, dancers, fireworks and other special effects has become the norm. High-profile acts are generally chosen for their broad appeal, due to the games' large audiences, and choices that deviate from that tend to be poorly received.

Many football historians{{Who|date=July 2014}} believe halftime shows originated with the [[Oorang Indians]] of the early [[National Football League]]. The team was a marketing ploy by [[Walter Lingo]] to sell and promote his [[Airedale Terrier]]s. He would lure audiences to his games with the promise of an outrageous halftime show, instead of the promise of a good football game. The team was called the Indians because they were made up entirely of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], and Oorang came from Lingo's Oorang Kennel Company. The Indians players participated in helping the Oorang Airedales perform tricks for the crowd before and after the game. However, it was their halftime entertainment that made them such a huge attraction in the early 1920s. There were shooting exhibitions with the dogs retrieving the targets. There were Native American dances and [[Tomahawk (axe)|tomahawk]] and knife-throwing demonstrations. Indians player [[Nick Lassa]], also called "Long-Time-Sleep", even wrestled a bear on occasion. Another show was a demonstration of the United States Indian scouts actions during [[World War I]]. The show promoted Lingo's kennels by showing the Airedale [[American Red Cross|Red Cross]] dogs administering first aid to wounded soldiers. Many of the scouts and Red Cross dogs taking part in the event were real veterans of the war, while the [[Germans|German]] troops were impersonated by local [[American Legion]] men who wore German uniforms furnished by Lingo. The halftime activities soon became more important than the results of the game for the Indians fanbase. The Indians only won 3 games in their two seasons of existence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2379|title=Walter Lingo - Ohio History Central|website=www.ohiohistorycentral.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://baron-von-aliff.home.att.net/whats-an-oorang.html |title=What's an Oorang? |access-date=2009-03-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408075700/http://baron-von-aliff.home.att.net/whats-an-oorang.html |archive-date=2009-04-08 }}</ref>

=== Super Bowl ===

{{main|List of Super Bowl halftime shows}}

In the [[United States]], the halftime show for the [[Super Bowl]] is perhaps the highlight of the event and can cost millions to stage.

On February 1, 2004, the live halftime show for [[Super Bowl XXXVIII]], produced by [[music video]] giant [[MTV]], [[Nipplegate|sparked outrage]] among many viewers when [[Justin Timberlake]], one of the performers, exposed fellow performer [[Janet Jackson]]'s right [[breast]]  in what was later dubbed a "[[wardrobe malfunction]]".  Since it was broadcast live, the exposure was seen by millions when it happened.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

=== Grey Cup ===
{{main|List of Grey Cup halftime shows}}
In [[Canada]], the halftime show for the [[Grey Cup]] is a highlight of the event and can cost millions to stage. Performers over the years have included [[Justin Bieber]], [[Shania Twain]], [[Blue Rodeo]], [[Black Eyed Peas]], [[Keith Urban]], [[Green Day]] and [[Imagine Dragons]].

=== NBA All-Star Game ===
{{main|List of NBA All-Star Game halftime shows}}