On Feb. 3, the nation’s annual Super Bowl took place in the Mercedes Benz Stadium, with the New England Patriots facing off against the Los Angeles Rams. For many Americans, the highlight of each Super Bowl is not the actual game but the commercials and halftime performance by popular musicians. This year, Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi headlined the halftime show to the irritation of many activists and fans on social media. This year’s Super Bowl halftime show ratings and reviews, as a result, hit the lowest seen in a decade; meanwhile, the New England Patriots celebrated their sixth championship win.

In response to the show’s mediocracy, users on Twitter created memes mocking not only Maroon 5’s frontman Adam Levine, but also the “Spongebob” intro to Travis Scott’s live version of “Sicko Mode.” Many online users wondered why the musicians didn’t perform the full version of “Sweet Victory” from “Spongebob Squarepants” instead of having the seven second intro air on national TV. Other memes mimicked Adam Levine’s cheetah tank top and his vocals in general.

The cause of the unentertaining halftime performance is related to the controversy seen from the NFL’s stance on certain social issues–most importantly, gun violence in relation to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Consequently, countless singers reportedly rejected  performing at the Super Bowl to take a stance on these issues and stand with Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee to protest police brutality against African Americans during the national anthem in 2016. Therefore, many potential viewers have been influenced by these celebrities to boycott the NFL.

In my opinion, the publicization of the controversy made for a worsened halftime. Maroon 5 and Travis Scott, as a result, probably performed tamer, more basic music in an effort to avoid any external criticism, which benefited the NFL the most. Contrary to their intentions, the performance, as expected, generated more buzz for giving a boring halftime performance to match the equally boring Super Bowl game.

In all, this year’s Super Bowl leaves a legacy of unexciting repetition (in terms of the winning team), lackluster advertisements and performances, and memes–lots of them. Hopefully, next year will bring more excitement for fans and casual viewers of the Super Bowl.