Super Bowl LIX was more than simply a convincing victory for the Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.
It was also a night filled with fashion statements, unforgettable commercials, and next-level celebrity drama.
From Taylor Swift being booed in the stands to Kendrick Lamar using the halftime limelight to take digs at Drake, the internet had plenty to say. Let’s not forget about the NFL’s controversial new scoreboard, which was panned by fans.
Here are the moments from this year’s Super Bowl that were more entertaining off the field than on it.
Taylor Swift gets booed.
Swift’s appearance at the Super Bowl has been the season’s biggest storyline, but not everyone was excited to see her. When she appeared on the large video screen in Caesars Superdome, a mix of cheers and boos erupted. Nonetheless, the singer appeared to take it professionally, with a touch of side eye and a light smile.
The anti-hate campaign by Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg, titled “No Reason to Hate,” received criticism due to its irony. When it appeared, social media was inundated with individuals saying how much they, well, loathed the advertisement.
The commercial for billionaire Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism shows the couple throwing barbs in tight close-ups: “I hate you because we’re from different neighborhoods.” “I hate you because you look different.” “I hate you because I don’t understand you.”
It concluded with Snoop remarking, “Man, I hate that things are so bad that we have to do a commercial about it.” It seems that a huge majority of viewers agreed.
Martha Stewart’s Sketchers advertisement.
Stewart may not have been on the field, but she stole the show with her funny Skechers commercial. The 83-year-old had social media buzzing, with X viewers proclaiming her the true MVP of the night.
In the commercial, an AI-generated version of Stewart performs outrageously spectacular breakdancing routines, flipping, twisting, and defying gravity with Olympic-level precision. Fans seemed unconcerned by the fact that it was definitely made by AI.
The new scoreboard was unsightly.
It takes a lot to distract fans from the actual game, but the Super Bowl’s new scoreboard did just that. As one fan put it, the pixelated display could have been “the single biggest downgrade in the history of scoreboard graphics.”
Kendrick Lamar takes aim at Drake.
During his halftime show, Kendrick Lamar ignited the internet with his direct criticism of Drake. After being introduced by none other than Samuel L. Jackson, Lamar wasted no time escalating his ongoing battle with Drake, singing a portion of his Grammy-winning diss tune “Not Like Us.”
Before beginning the song, he made sure to deliver a pointed message, locking eyes with the camera and hinting, “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” – an obvious dig at Drake and his legal fights with Universal Music Group, their joint record company.
Just when fans thought it couldn’t get much uglier, Lamar twisted the knife even further by adding Serena Williams and SZA, two of Drake’s ex-girlfriends, on screen throughout the performance. The internet erupted.
A somewhat boring explosion.
The Super Bowl was not the nail-biter fans expected, with the Philadelphia Eagles dominating the Kansas City Chiefs from tip to end, leaving little potential for drama on the field.
And, as usual, the internet had thoughts. Some Eagles fans welcomed their victory, while others were dissatisfied by the lack of suspense.