Good Material Girl: Madonna puts on a show

INDIANAPOLIS

What happens when you put Madonna in a room filled with (mostly) sports media members? She gets asked about Alex Rodriguez, of course.

Appearing at a news conference to discuss her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, Madonna entertained a wide range of bizarre inquiries, including a request for a post-news conference kiss from Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. (She declined.)

But in this 15-minute session it was the question about the Yankees third baseman -- remember, they reportedly were an item a few years ago -- that served as the biggest shocker.

Not long after Madonna called her halftime show gig "a Midwest girl's dream," a reporter from a Boston radio station asked her to confirm an Us Weekly story from a while back that said A-Rod has a painting of himself as a centaur -- half-man, half-horse -- in his bedroom.

"Wow," Madonna said. "If he does, I haven't seen it. But I'm pretty sure he has a very large photograph of me, um, lying on a horse, so I hope this answers your question."

Then she laughed.

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This exchange, mind you, took place live on the NFL Network.

Then came the wardrobe questions. You know, whether there will be any Janet Jackson-like "wardrobe malfunctions."

"There will be no wardrobe malfunctions," Madonna said. "Promise."

There have been daily reminders here that the Super Bowl is so much more than just a football game, moments that reinforce that this weeklong combination of sports, pop culture, parties and money leads to the chance for the unpredictable to occur at any moment.

Which may be why Madonna's news conference Thursday in a first-floor ballroom of the J.W. Marriott easily brought the biggest crowd of any event this week. But come Sunday, Madonna insisted, she won't push the envelope at halftime.

Yes, she said she's planning some surprises during her four-song performance, but nothing too risque. Instead, she promised a performance "that's going to entertain all age groups."

As for football, she's not that big a fan. Her thoughts on Rob Gronkowski's injury status? "A lot of people would say that I'm a bit of a masochist," she said. "I would just tape my ankle and say prayers, take an anti-inflammatory and get my butt out there. I hope he does."

She said she's been dealing with a hamstring injury, too, but she's good to go.

When someone from ESPN Deportes asked her about Victor Cruz's salsa celebrations, Madonna said Cruz has "inspired" her to practice salsa. Then she stepped out from behind the podium and showed off her salsa dancing. Just because.

Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon told Cruz about that. Hanlon tweeted that Cruz "smiled, stepped back and said, 'Get out of here!' "

Only at the Super Bowl.