Superbowl LIV: a full recap
February 4, 2020
Super Bowl LIV captivated the nation this past weekend, and it became one of the top 10 most watched Superbowls in history.
The game started Sunday night at 6:30 EST as the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the San Francisco 49ers. The game was intense and kept everyone’s eyes glued to their TVs. The Super Bowl was a huge hit to fans around the world and contained many “firsts.”
Damien Williams was the first player to score two touchdowns in the final 5 minutes of a Super Bowl, and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs was the first QB under 25 to win a ring and Super Bowl MVP. However, both QBs also had two interceptions and Patrick Mahomes fumbled twice. In the end, Patrick Mahomes orchestrated a 10-point comeback and led the Chiefs to score 3 4th quarter touchdowns to seal the win for Kansas City.
The game wasn’t the only highlight of the night. This year’s halftime show was said to be one of the best in years. The performance was headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, and it was the first time two Latin women headlined a Super Bowl. Bad Bunny and J Balvin are two of the hottest Latin artists today, and they were also invited to take part in performing with the two women.
While many people enjoyed the animated and lively show with lots of dancing, there was also controversy. Jennifer Lopez started off her song, “Waiting for Tonight” on a pole. Many people thought that her dancing on the pole was degrading to women. NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo tweeted “The halftime show almost got me in trouble” after the conclusion of the performance.
More comments of degrading women were made because of how the stars chose to dance and dress. There was also a controversial depiction of kids being locked in cages. With all of America watching, the artists made a protest against the American government’s treatment of immigrants and Puerto Rico in order to show what kids go through when their parents are taken away from them. Needless to say, controversy is sure to follow the performance.
This year’s Super Bowl commercials were also a hit. (When paying 5.6 million dollars for a 30 second clip, the advertisers had better hope their commercials are a hit.) Many of the “best” commercials referenced pop culture throwbacks. Though some commercials such as Google’s and New York Life’s were more heartfelt, the most popular ads included celebrities and pop culture. Many of these commercials referenced movies from over 20 years ago, creating nostalgia for the viewers.
Mountain Dew Zero’s commercial featured Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame in a The Shining-inspired commercial. “Research showed that 60% of the population older than age 12 has seen “The Shining” but more than 90% are familiar with the scene of Jack Nicholson breaking down a door with an axe and poking his face through” wrote Graham of CNBC. Nicholson’s performance is an iconic scene that adults remember from the movie, and teens know of from memes.
Mountain Dew re-filmed the scene and made it an ad that was funny and memorable. Another commercial that went back in time, was Statefarm. Statefarm went with the classic “Jake from State Farm” ad and it has resurfaced as one of the best.