Photo courtesy of nfl.com | Super Bowl LIII, which took place in Atlanta, Ga., featured a game with only one touchdown and a halftime performance that was scrutinized for mediocrity. In the end, the overall product was underwhelming for fans.
Let’s face it: This was the most boring Super Bowl in recent memory.
Maroon 5 was the safe choice to play the halftime show. After numerous artists turned down the gig to support former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the band was criticized for accepting the NFL’s offer.
But the band had welcomed the challenge of handling the controversy, with lead singer Adam Levine saying, “When you look back on every single Super Bowl halftime show … it’s this like insatiable urge to hate a little bit. I’m not in the right profession if I can’t handle a little bit of controversy.”
And then the performance was forgettable, to say the least.
Maroon 5 performed lackluster renditions of “Harder to Breathe,” “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved” and “Moves Like Jagger” on an ‘M’ shaped stage. It also featured Big Boi performing “The Way You Move” and Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE.”
Many fans felt that Big Boi’s and Scott’s appearances felt short, and that Maroon 5 did not live up to expectations. Lakers star LeBron James even chimed in on Twitter saying, “Soooooooo…… This halftime show though. That’s all for Travis or nah?!?!?”
Even though the NFL hoped to avoid controversy with this pick, the opposite ended up happening. Toward the end of the show, Levine took off his shirt, drawing comparisons to the 2004 performance in which Justin Timberlake revealed Janet Jackson’s breast during their halftime show.
Many people began to question why it was OK for a man to show his chest without consequences, given that Jackson almost had her career ruined by the move.
Then the worst possible thing happened. They ruined the Spongebob tribute.
It should have been awesome. Spongebob creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away in November. A petition on change.org garnered more than 100 million signatures.
And then it was hinted at for weeks that they were going to play the famous rendition of “Sweet Victory” in the Spongebob episode “Band Geeks.” It supposed to be good. Even Mercedes-Benz Stadium tweeted a picture from the episode.
They botched it. And botched it bad. Seven seconds of new animation that led into Scott’s entrance and nothing more. Sure, it should have been enough to keep people happy. But when the expectations were set so high, it was extremely disappointing to not hear “Sweet Victory.”
Too bad the game was boring to watch too.
The Patriots won their sixth title in the Brady-Belichick era. Brady now stands alone at the top of the mountain as the player with the most rings.
The Patriots tied the Steelers as the franchise with the most championships. Wide receiver Julian Edelman, a true underdog, won MVP. This is something of fairy tales.
But the lowest ratings for the big game in a decade don’t lie.
It would’ve helped if the final score wasn’t 13-3. And when the biggest highlights are the longest punt in Super Bowl history, and two missed field goals, its clear this game lacked the usual substance of a championship.
I think what this Super Bowl shows is just how wrong the NFL got the pass interference no-call in New Orleans two weeks ago. Could you imagine a Brady-Brees Super Bowl? But I guess we can only hope for next year for something more interesting.
By: Jack Dunn | U.S. & World News Editor