The Super Bowl Extras: Ads and Halftime Show

This year's Super Bowl was exciting for many football fans, as they finally got to see the Kansas City Chiefs be taken down by the Philadelphia Eagles while the referees did nothing to help. Every year though the advertisements and halftime shows attract people to watch the Super Bowl who are not interested in the actual game. 

This year's ads received mixed reviews, with some finding the ads to be very good, while others found them very bad. According to USA TODAY, the 8 best ads came from Budweiser’s “First Delivery,” Lays’ “The Little Farmer,” Michelob Ultra's “The Ultra Hustle,” Stella Artois’ “David and Dave,” Bud Light, “Big Men on Cul-de-Sac,” Uber Eats’ “Century of Cravings,” and the NFL’s “Somebody” and “Flag 50.” 

This year's halftime show was different from previous years. Performed by Kendrick Lamar with SZA, Kendrick performed many of his original hits, some with SZA and some not. He eventually performed his most recent hit Not Like Us, going back to his diss battle with Drake. 

Throughout his performance, Kendrick Lamar sent a message to President Trump, who was in attendance. He had Samuel Jackson commentate his show as “Uncle Sam,” to protest slavery, likely due to Trump’s cuts of the DEI Program. He also stood in a divided American flag to represent the state of the country and how divided it is between the Democrats and Republicans. The last big thing he did that caught the attention of watchers was the reference to “40 acres and a mule” which gave enslaved people land after the Civil War, but was quickly overturned when Andrew Johnson took over as president after the assassination of President Lincoln. His goal in this symbolism was to show historical injustice that remains today and impacts all of us. All of these factors present in the performance sent a message, encouraging equal opportunity and rights for all. He urges the country to stop the divide and come together as one.

Between the game itself, the advertisements, and the halftime show, most people found this year’s Super Bowl to be a success. We will have to wait and see what happens next year!