It’s finally over. And to the dismay of the football world. The 2021 NFL Season concluded this Sunday, with Super Bowl LVI. It was interesting, to say the least. Two unsuspecting teams made their way to the Promised Land, for a chance at immortality. In the end, the LA Rams walked out victorious over the Cincinnati Bengals, ending their two-decade long Super Bowl Championship drought.

It was a change of breath, seeing new faces compete for a Lombardi. But, not all show spectacles are perfect, and this Super Bowl is no exception. Some moments make for cheap laughs, and others make dubious history.

CoinBase QR Code

• We’re living in an era where crypto is becoming the face of currency. There’s a robust supply of crypto coins throughout the internet, and many means of getting them. The most popular platform is CoinBase, which offers assets such as Bitcoin. As CoinBase continues to expand its business, surpassing 56 million users, what better way to get millions more, than by a Super Bowl ad. A QR code popped up on the screen, during the 2nd quarter. The code led to CoinBase, with $15 in Bitcoin to sign up, plus a chance to win $3 million in prizes. To no surprise, the website crashed, with millions of people visiting it at once. Yet the minds of the viewers were set on the game, rather than building a crypto stock portfolio. It was a waste of time, as it did nothing for the show.

The People’s Purple Champion

• No major sporting event is complete, without celebrity involvement. In came WWE legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The Rock is in a league of his own, working up crowds with his charisma. But, this wasn’t WrestleMania. What Rock brings to WWE doesn’t reflect the same way in the NFL. He managed to rally up fans, to some degree. The reaction isn’t anywhere close to what he gets from the WWE Universe. Twitter did have fun, roasting Rock’s choice of clothes. It went from McDonald’s Grimace, the Fruit by the Loom grape, and California Raisins. We hope to see you at this year’s Mania, Rocky.

Gen X’s reaction to Hip Hop Legends

• Hip-hop has to be one of the most powerful influential music genres. The people who thrived, and put it on the map, during its golden age are timeless. This night brought forth a star-studded cast of Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar. Their performance made for a memorable show. Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’, Snoop’s ‘The Next Episode’, and a rendition of TuPac’s ‘California Love’ by Dre really hit it home.
• Millennials growing up to these artists were the beneficiaries of the show. Others not so much. Few “older people” panned the Halftime Show for the choice of artists and songs. It probably served as a rude reminder of their age. Their choice of classics are now the oldies of yesteryear. One person on Twitter went on a racist rant, assuming the show was catered towards a certain racial Gen Z demographic.

Ref Ball LVI

• What game isn’t complete without Ref Ball. It is the killer of hopes and dreams. It’s part of history, like it or not. The worst place possible to witness Ref Ball is in a match up like the Super Bowl. We were treated to two noticeable instances. First was an uncalled face mask, by Tee Higgins, as he caught a pass from Joe Burrow, for a touchdown. No flag.
• When crunch time approached, out came the flags. First against the Bengals, with 1:47 left in the 4th Quarter. Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw a pass to eventual MVP Cooper Kupp, and Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson knocked the ball away. Refs called it holding. After two more plays, and flags, the Rams scored the game winning touchdown. All this did was create a story of “what ifs” and conspiracies that the NFL is rigged.

Regular Season Game or Super Bowl

• When one thinks of watching a Super Bowl, they are expecting a show stealing instant classic for the ages. We had one of the biggest upsets in 2008, the ultimate comeback in 2017, and last year a middle-aged man dismantling an elite young defense for his seventh ring. This Super Bowl featured nothing special. It felt like a really good regular season game. Unless you’re a Rams fan, it’s unlikely that people will turn back to this frequently and rewatch it. There was no circus catch, blowout, comeback, or game winning interception to stamp this as an all-time great. This is not to say the Rams didn’t deserve it. They more than deserved it. Stafford, OBJ, and Kupp made this team legit, and the teams they defeated reinforces the fact. More was desired from this game. What other dubious distinctions are you aware of?