Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year and I am not even a huge NFL fan. I love the glitz and glamour, and I enjoy the memorable and funny advertisements, the busy restaurants, hanging out with my friends and family, the empty roads, the adorable puppy bowl in the morning, and all of the other things it has to offer. It’s so much more than just a football game, but I thought the game itself was enjoyable and I found the halftime show to be very entertaining.
I personally was hoping for Joe Burrow and the Bengals to win. This would have been Burrow and Cincinnati’s first Super Bowl win: an underdog team that no one saw making it to the finals. However, I applaud allstars like Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, and the entire Los Angeles Rams program for a well-earned championship. Unlike last year, both teams played a good game and made it both exciting and stressful to watch. That being said, when I was hanging out with the track team while watching it, the poor television was verbally abused.
Another unique feature about the game that has become more prevalent in recent years is the growing popularity of sports betting surrounding the Super Bowl. There’s obviously some downsides to it, like the potential for losing money, but a lot of people like me just bet small change for the fun of it. Some of the popular “prop bets” include who will win MVP, what color the Gatorade is, the outcome of the coin toss, and which team scores the first touchdown.
Although I am not a rap fan, I did enjoy the halftime show this year. Since the game took place in Inglewood, California, the 1990’s West Coast hip hop theme was very relevant. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre sang the iconic hit, “California Love” by Tupac Shakur, as a tribute to him and his legacy. Other performers at the show included Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J Blige. I could only imagine how so many older men and women who grew up or lived through the 90’s appreciated the throwback songs and memories.
One noticeable event during the show was when 50 Cent sang upside down. This caused a lot of humorous reactions, including tons of memes. One meme I thought was particularly funny was when people on social media compared 50 Cent to an episode of Spongebob Squarepants where Patrick was hanging from a rock waiting to capture Spongebob with a jellyfish net. A common complaint about this year’s halftime show that has often been a complaint in the past, was about the dancers’ costumes being too revealing. I agree with those criticisms. Many young children and their families watch the game, so the networks broadcasting it should try to make it appropriate for all ages.
I also felt that the types of music featured in the halftime performance could have been more diverse. Americans have different tastes when it comes to music such as Rock, Bachata and Latin Pop, Country, Jazz, Folk, and other popular genres. They should continue to invite local musicians depending on the host cities. For example, it would make sense to feature someone like Jason Aldean if the Superbowl was in Georgia or Darius Rucker if it’s in the Carolinas, even if they are not the main act or genre. Same concept if it was at MetLife Stadium, I would love to hear Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi perform. Still, I enjoyed the performance very much and would love to see these thoughts taken into consideration when planning halftime shows for future Super Bowls.
