Things you might have missed at the Super Bowl
There was a time when Tom Brady did not play in and win Super Bowls. Sure, it was when Copernicus was trying to figure out which direction the Earth moved, but the time did exist.
Sunday was not one of those times. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers soundly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, in a game that lacked any and all drama.
The game itself wasn’t competitive, but there were plenty of interesting things that happened off the field — and, for some brief moments, on it. How could there not be? Super Bowl Sunday is a long-standing tradition featuring hours of a corporate advertising bonanza.
This is the dynamic that creates glowing pregame tributes to front-line workers who are fighting the coronavirus, while at the same time showing shots of crowded stands. There were glossy segments highlighting the NFL’s commitment to equality, with nary a mention of Colin Kaepernick. That fell to Mariah Carey, who posted on Twitter, “Happy Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day!”
Here are some other things you might have missed.
The Oatly Commercial. Oatly, a food and beverage company based in Sweden, ran one of the strangest commercials in Super Bowl history. It featured the company’s chief executive, Toni Petersson, playing a keyboard in a field and singing: “It’s like milk but made for humans. It’s like milk but made for humans. Wow. Wow. No cow. No, no, no. Wow. Wow. No cow. No, no, no. Wow. Wow.”
That was the entire commercial, and that’s the exact quote.
A Vince Lombardi Hologram.
The most famous coach in NFL history gave an inspirational speech before kickoff — well, a projection that looked like him did. It was a bit odd — given that Vince Lombardi looked like a video game character.
Miley Cyrus’ Throwback Jams.
Miley Cyrus’ pregame concert was outstanding, featuring her collaborating with Billy Idol and Joan Jett. The best performances were with Idol (“Night Crawling,” “White Wedding”) and Jett (“Bad Karma,” “Bad Reputation”).
Bruce Springsteen Loves Jeep.
Bruce Springsteen — which translates in New Jerseyese to “Deity” — appeared in a spot for Jeep, his first commercial ever. The commercial — titled “The Middle” — had plenty of political overtones and showed shots of Kansas and of Springsteen briefly driving around in a Jeep, somberly staring and urging a return to — ahem — The Middle.
“The middle has been a hard place to get to lately,” Springsteen said in a voice-over. “Between red and blue, between servant and citizen, between our freedom and our fear. Now, fear has never been the best of who we are. And as for freedom, it’s not the property of just the fortunate few. It belongs to us all. Whoever you are. Wherever you’re from. It’s what connects us. And we need that connection. We need the middle.”
After decades of refusing to do commercials, Springsteen finally took the plunge with a message of platitude-filled centrism while trying to sell a car. It was all a bit jarring.
The Streaker. The most excitement from the game came late in the contest, when a fan ran onto the field, eluding security guards. He pulled his pants down and made his way into the end zone, which is one more successful end zone trip than the Chiefs had all night.
Amanda Gorman’s Pregame Poem. Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet, has become nearly ubiquitous in American culture after her recitation at President Joe Biden’s inauguration last month. In her latest high-profile appearance, she delivered a new poem, “Chorus of the Captains,” in a taped pregame segment. It honored a nurse, a teacher and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had been selected as honorary captains to participate in the coin toss. It was the first time the Super Bowl had featured a poet.
The Game Itself. Let’s be honest: Unless you are a Buccaneers fan, you probably didn’t watch the whole thing.