With recent Super Bowl halftime acts like the Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, the NFL has developed a habit of branching from the musical tastes of its core demographic.

That trend will reportedly continue in 2015.

Pop star Katy Perry has been chosen to perform at this year’s game in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 1, according to New York Post gossip hub Page Six.

The Wall Street Journal reported in August that Perry was a candidate, along with Coldplay and Rihanna. But then Rihanna went out and literally said f— you to one of the league’s closest broadcast partners, which probably burned some bridges.

The WSJ report also stated that the league might have been trying to get money out of the “winning” act:

While notifying the artists’ camps of their candidacy, league representatives also asked at least some of the acts if they would be willing 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.

The NFL is a private trade association, and thus we might never find out whether Perry was picked by the league because it felt she brought more to the table than Coldplay, or whether she simply won a bidding war.

For what it’s worth, Perry stated on ESPN last week that she was “not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl.”

For your typical Joe Six Pack football fan, I think it’s safe to say that neither option was ideal. But consider that the league doesn’t have to win over those types. Instead, by going with an act like Perry, the NFL has the ability to draw in a very different audience. And if even a small percentage of those Perry followers keep watching the football after the performance, there’s a chance the NFL walks away with some new fans – especially if she brings Lee Corso with her.

For the rest of us, Coldplay might have been the lesser of two evils. But we’ll likely be watching the Puppy Bowl anyway.

[Page Six]

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.