Lamar filled the stage with performers, but none of them seemed to be white. While most may not even have noticed, some particularly upset users took to X to express their frustration.
“There’s no diversity in the half time show. DEI only goes one direction and this horrible halftime show perfectly represents why DEI needs to die,” a user wrote.
I didn’t enjoy the entire superbowl. Not a single commercial was memorable, or with me right now. The game was sad and one sided, while the commentators just kept trying to suck off KC.
And as far as the halftime show, I didn’t like it. Now, as far as the music goes, I never like the music. But usually the music at least brings with it some amazing visuals. It usually feels like the biggest performance of the year.
Instead, they had one move. Yes, the dancing in colors to eventually form a flag that waves IS pretty cool…but you got a 20 minute performance. That visual is a minute at most. What else ya got? Oh, just a lot of dancers marching down the street…still forming a flag. Oh, the majority of your show is the flag? Yeah, it was kinda cool the first time…but that CANNOT be your only move. I forget who was billed as the official act, but there was one that broke down into a whole bunch of singers. You had jay z and eminem, and mary j blige and snoop dogg, and it just kept changing styles. That one was kinda cool.
I think that’s what I want in superbowl halftime shows. Larger than life productions where you get lost in the theatrical production of all, and it becomes an ensamble cast of artists and styles.
I want one where TLC leads into Lady Gaga, leads into Destinys Child, leads into Beyonce, capped off by GWAR.
Imagine that halftime show.
"Not a single commercial was memorable "
The fact that commercials are seen as anything else than annoying is already strange to me. But reading that it really is seen as an entertaining part of the Super Bowl takes it to a whole other level.
I despise commercials generally. But the Super Bowl is when marketers used to bring their A-game, with a very different feel from usual ads.
Now they just bring A-listers instead, put them on the screen and say, “Look who we hired! Now buy our product.”
Usually you’re right, Commercials are only annoying. The Super Bowl USED to be the exception, where companies would go all out to make something entertaining enough to be memorable. That was where the good ideas, the creative productions, would be found. If you believe there is any reality in which a commercial can be entertaining to watch, the Super Bowl was where you would find it. I’ve been to Super Bowl watch parties in which the entire crowd would go quiet just to catch the commercials. They were absolutely an entertaining part of the experience, and if you didn’t especially care about football they were easily the best part.
These days, though, not so much. These days it seems like the popular approach is just to find whatever celebrity will draw the most attention, and any form of creativity is secondary at best.
Back when I was in high school (gosh, 2005 or so?) I had a teacher that said he only watched the Superbowl to see the commercials.
Me, being someone who tunes out, mutes, or otherwise does whatever possible to avoid being subject to ads, thought it was absurd. Sure, companies may go all-out if they think their ad will pay off, but there are so many things designed to entertain us that aren’t also trying to push us to buy something.
But saying that out loud seems to confuse people.
It’s been like that for decades. At one time people would watch FOR the commercials. Commercial companies used to bring their A-game, and debut unique ads that you’d talk about for years.
This year felt mostly like just average commercials you could have seen during any commercial break.
In the 80s, Energizer had ads that you thought were ads for other products. Then they’d switch it up, and surprise! It’s the energizer bunny.
In the 90s, they had the budweiser frogs, the taco bell dog, and the wassup guys.
Now though? Ugh. Nothing funny or memorable happened.
Yeah. It’s supposed to be part of the fun. Corps will corp, and will advertise no matter what. Having an event that is effectively an advertisement competition was great. Supports artists enjoyable. Losing that is a big of a shame tbh
More recently we had such gold mines as Dietz Nuts and the PopCorners x Breaking Bad crossover.
This is a football game we’re talking about?