M.I.A.'s rebellious middle finger salute during 2012 Super Bowl halftime show may end up costing her dearly if the NFL has its way, according to a CBS News report.

The hard-headed head honchos of the National Football League have just escalated their beef with the singer-rapper to a whole new level. Instead of dropping their lawsuit against the British pop star, they've now increased the suit to the tune of almost $17 million.

The new sum dwarfs the $1.5 million the sports league originally demanded and is well above any figure M.I.A. can afford. The singer is worth a comparatively paltry $10 million, according to website Celebrity Net Worth.

How did they come up with such an exorbitant figure? Well, the NFL's claiming M.I.A. raised the "f*** you" finger to more than the 110 million viewers as part of a publicity stunt.

They're therefore demanding she fork over the equivalent of what a Super Bowl advertiser would've spent on her unpaid two minute appearance opposite Madonna and Nicki Minaj. The cost of a 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI ran as high as $4 million, according to a USA Today report.

M.I.A. has publicly made light of the lawsuit. She took to Twitter to ask the "Queen of Pop" for financial assistance, tweeting "@madonna ummm ..... can i borrow 16 million ?". Madonna has yet to tweet back.