NBC’s Super Bowl half-time entertainment will feature Pop Icon Katy Perry along with Lenny Kravitz.  Both artist are already incredibly successful worldwide, but with an expected audience of 100 million plus, that kind of exposure can add a bump to anyone’s career.

In August 2014, three contenders were in the running: Coldplay, Rihanna and Perry. All three are great performers in their own right. What the NFL did next, took greed to a new level and left the artists stunned.

Reported by The Wall Street Journal, the NFL expected the artist, “to contribute a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the league, or if they would make some other type of financial contribution, in exchange for the halftime gig.”

Past Super Bowl commitments did not offer pay to the performer, but they did pick up the expensive half-time production cost, as well as lodging and travel expenses. When Katy Perry was picked for the coveted spot, rumors started flying — did she — or didn’t she?

“I’m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl,” said Perry during an Oct.4, 2014 appearance on ESPN’s “College Gameday.”

Today, just one day before the big game, Perry continues to deny any payment and the NFL refuses to disclose the terms of the contract. But why would the league ask for such an unusual request?

One theory puts these facts together:

• A 30 second Super Bowl commercial sells for approximately $4 million.
• The half-time show is 12 minutes.
• In advertisement revenue, 12 minutes would be equivalent to $96 million.

Could this have influenced Beyonce’s decision not to reveal she was going on tour until after her 2013 Super Bowl performance?

Or could Beyonce’s successful 2013 tour be the catalyst for the pay to play controversy?

Beyonce’s, post Super Bowl, “The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” from April 2013-March 2014 grossed over $229.7 million and became one of the highest grossing tours of the decade.