Super Bowl LVI

Overview

Super Bowl LVI was the 56th NFL Super Bowl championship game. It took place in Los Angeles in mid-February 2022 and featured the NFC's Los Angeles Rams, the favorites, facing the AFC's Cincinnati Bengals, who surprisingly made it to the big game after two poor seasons. In a close game, the Rams edged out the Bengals 23-20. Outside of the game, the event had a widely praised halftime show featuring rappers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Anderson Paak and Mary J. Blige. Notably, there were multiple cryptocurrency ads that caught the internet's attention.

Background

Super Bowl LVI took place on February 13th, 2022, in Los Angeles.^[1] The Rams came into the game with a 15-4 record, including the playoffs, while the Bengals came in with a 13-7 record. The Rams entered the game as the favorites, with commentators noting they had gone "all-in" on the season to win the championship.^[1] The Bengals were a surprise entrant, having upset strong teams like the Kansas City Chiefs on their way to the Super Bowl. They had won only six games the previous two seasons combined.

In October, the lineup for the halftime show was announced, with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar scheduled to perform.^[2] The lineup was seen as a nod to the Southern California hip-hop scene, which Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar helped shape over their careers.

Developments

The game was a tightly contested affair, and the Rams won 23-20. After a game that rarely saw penalties called, the Rams were aided on their game-winning, fourth-quarter touchdown drive by several pass interference calls on the Bengals. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught the game-winning touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.^[3]

The half-time show, which also featured 50 Cent and Anderson Paak, was well-received online, as each performer played one or two of their most popular hits. This made it very popular among Millennials and Gen X audiences, as many of the songs played were from their youth.^[4]

Notable Super Bowl Ads

Cryptocurrency commercials had a particularly notable presence during Super Bowl 56. Coinbase ran an eye-catching ad that featured a bouncing QR code, mimicking the Bouncing DVD Logo. Viewers who scanned the QR code with their phones were able to set up a Coinbase account with $15 in free Bitcoin for new signups, though the curiosity of the advertisement resulted in the site crashing shortly after.

Larry David appeared in a cryptocurrency ad for exchange hub FTX, LeBron James appeared in an ad for Crypto.com, and crypto investment platform eToro also ran an ad during the Super Bowl (examples shown below).^[5]

In his moment of truth, @KingJames called it. Fortune Favors the Brave #FFTB pic.twitter.com/Snhpit3vnh

— Crypto.com (@cryptocom) February 14, 2022

The next ₿ig thing is here, even if Larry can’t see it.We’re giving away 7.54 #bitcoin right now to celebrate! How to enter:1) Watch our ad!2) Follow us3) Retweet this by 11:59 pm ESTFour lucky winners! #FTXContestNo Purch Nec. Subject to T&C: https://t.co/7oCC4YUk0M pic.twitter.com/RosZS0HZAS

— FTX (@FTX_Official) February 14, 2022

Related Memes

50 Cent Upside Down

50 Cent Hanging Upside Down refers to rapper 50 Cent's hanging upside down while performing his song "In Da Club" during the halftime show at the Super Bowl LVI, which is a reference to the 2003 music video for the song. 50 Cent's position during the performance, combined with the fact that the rapper had to wait until rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg finished their performance, spawned memes.

Coinbase Bouncing QR Code Commercial

Coinbase Bouncing QR Code Super Bowl Commercial refers to a commercial played during Super Bowl LVI (56) in mid-February 2022 of a QR code bouncing around the television screen for over 20 seconds, mimicking the Bouncing DVD Logo. Viewers who scanned the QR code with their phones were able to set up a Coinbase account with $15 in free Bitcoin for new signups, though the curiosity of the advertisement resulted in the site crashing shortly after. The ad was widely discussed online and covered in the media following the Super Bowl.

Search Interest

External References