From the blowout game to the mediocre halftime show, it was a pretty uneventful Super Bowl Sunday. In my short life, I can’t remember a more disappointing Super Bowl. 

The game had the makings of a classic: the greatest quarterback of all time at the tail end of his career against the current young great. In terms of star power, this game was practically unmatched. The amount of great skill players on each team had most of us thinking it would be a shootout. Yet, when it came down to it, only one side performed. I certainly never thought the best offense in the league would fail to score a single touchdown in the biggest game of the season. 

Not only was the game a bore, but the surrounding novelties of the Super Bowl failed to entertain as well. The commercials were bland and unoriginal. This year I can think of maybe three commercials that stuck with me, and I don’t even remember what companies they were for. 

Drake from State Farm was clever, but is an example of the downward trend of Super Bowl commercials. Too often, companies are relying on star power instead of genuinely funny, memorable ideas. Every commercial was just a different version of some celebrity making a stupid joke or poorly reciting some half-hearted endorsement.

The Weeknd is a good artist, but that halftime show was just as bland as the game. To me, special effects and choreography are cool, but what really matters is how it sounds. And Sunday night it just sounded average. That’s really the best way to describe it. It wasn’t bad, but it was entirely mediocre. However, when you combine an average performance with a horrendous game and bland commercials, you get one of the most disappointing Super Bowls. 

I understand commercials and the halftime show might have been hindered by COVID-19, but that doesn’t excuse them from failing on what is likely the biggest night of sports of the year. The game is out of their control, I don’t blame them for that, but it just seemed like everything else lacked effort and creativity. When the most creative thing I saw all night was the disgusting Nickelodeon slime edits of plays, I know I had a bad night. 

After such a tiring, difficult season and year for both fans and teams, I’m sure this is not the Super Bowl everyone was hoping for. A 31-9 blowout is not exactly the exciting shootout we wished would happen. However, perhaps this is the perfect conclusion for the 2020 NFL season. It makes sense that the most disappointing Super Bowl would coincide with the most disappointing year.