Pay To Play - Not Video Games, Not College Sports, but NFL Superbowl Halftime Show

The Superbowl's Halftime show is one of the biggest live music events each year but that may be changing very soon.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Roger Goodell and the NFL are asking artists if they are "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 rumored artists are Rihanna, Katy Perry and Coldplay, all which are top talents in the music industry who may never have money troubles for the rest of their lives due to the royalties they will receive even after their retirement.

However, this doesn't change the the NFL's unparalled audacity to ask a performing artist to pay to perform.

With the way the modern music industry is set up, most artists make the majority of their income from touring and not from their record sales. Illegal downloading has severely reduced the profit of record sales and thus, the NFL is taking away the lifeblood of the three potential artists.

The NFL is a multi - billion dollar business which leaves them no excuse to even think of such an absurd idea let alone actually go through with the attempt of implementing it.

The only semi - plausible argument for this idea is that the exposure and prestige of playing the Super Bowl is unrivaled, and while that is a true statement, it doesn't make up for the unsettling idea that Roger Goodell is solely concerned with monetization - in any way possible.

What happened to sports being about the love of the game?

The fact that The Superbowl Halftime Show is the grandest stage to perform on in the entire world does not make it okay to create extort money from musical talents who simply want to perform and share their art with the world.

People who look up to these international superstars and fine solace in their music need to make a stand and support their freedom to perform against this before it's too late and the Super Bowl Halftime Show is gone for good.

Until then however, we are left feeling deeply disheartened that the NFL would propose this idea and honestly believe they are right in doing.

It leaves one wondering whether there is anything left in our world that doesn't have a price tag.

If this is the direction the NFL is going they can expect to see a decline in viewers as many people are already unhappy with many of the rule changes from previous seasons and the way officials have been calling the game.2014 Preseason.