The conventional wisdom holds that the Super Bowl is the most lucrative sporting event in the world, generating as much as $1 billion in revenue. Aside from the game itself, the halftime show performance, which features major music icons, has long been a main draw for viewers. This year’s show — sponsored by Apple Music, produced by Roc Nation and Diversified Production Services, and featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar — will be no exception.

Advertisers will reportedly spend $7 million on average for a 30-second spot in Super Bowl LIX, reaping a huge windfall for Fox. With millions more viewers tuning in for halftime than the game itself in recent years, that cost can be expected to be higher for advertisers who want the slots during the break.

Not everyone, however, is cleaning up on the halftime entertainment.

The workers tasked with setting up and breaking down the large, elaborate stages and displays on the field for the roughly 15-minute performance hardly get to cash in. For this year’s halftime show, field crew workers are set to make as little as $12 per hour during rehearsals and during Super Bowl LIX itself, according to an online job listing. The job stretches across eight days and includes about 48 hours of work.

The role requires workers to be able to “push, pull, bend and lift” heavy objects, up to 50 pounds in weight, according to the listing. Workers will be “moving and assembling the large rolling stage carts and other scenic elements on and off the field” for the show, which typically costs $10-15 million to produce. The crews are not given a ticket to watch the game.

Cities often compete with each other to host the Super Bowl, chasing the NFL’s promise that the annual event will inject millions in revenue into the local economy. But the benefits often fall short of projections.

“The reality is we see these jobs, whether it’s working the halftime show, whether it’s working in a concession stand, or even the restaurant work that is getting extra hours because the Super Bowl is coming — these aren’t high-paying jobs,” said Michael Edwards, a professor at North Carolina State University who researches the ethics and social responsibility of sports and sporting events. “These are all service industry event-type gig jobs that are going to be low-paying with no benefits at all.”

Roc Nation, Diversified Production Services, and the NFL did not immediately respond to The Intercept’s requests for comment. The listed email address on the Super Bowl Productions website, which posted........

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