The Super Bowl is the biggest event on the NFL calendar every year, and the league likes the game to have some pageantry and style. What marks things tough for the NFL is that any misstep will likely be recorded in some form or fashion. For example, the Minnesota Vikings mascot sends fans and stadium workers fleeing for their lives before Super Bowl. IV.
While some people were worried about NFL picks and parlays, others were worried about where the Vikings mascot and his hot air balloon would land. He was attempting to navigate a hot air balloon before kickoff when a sudden wind sent the balloon into the stands. It was a bad omen for Minnesota, losing the game to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7. Here’s a look at some memorable miscues that weren’t made by the guys on the field.
Who took my helmet?
The Buffalo Bills went into Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis during a stretch of four straight runs to the Super Bowl. Buffalo thought it matched well with the Washington Redskins, who were quarterbacked by Mark Rypien. However, the Bills never quite found themselves during a 37-24 win.
What really rattled everyone in Buffalo was what happened pregame. Bills running back Thurman Thomas had a pregame tradition where he would sit his helmet down in a certain spot. However, one of the members of Harry Connick Jr.’s band moved the helmet before their pregame performance. Thomas couldn’t find his helmet before the game started and missed several plays to start.
Buffalo is convinced if he was on the field for a run, Kenneth Davis did. Instead, the Bills could have started the game with better momentum.
Unplugged
The Red Hot Chili Peppers joined Bruno Mars during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show to play along. However, it became clear that the Red Hot Chili Peppers weren’t making much noise when it was seen that their guitars weren’t plugged in. The NFL had requested that the musical part of the performance, besides the vocals, be pre-recorded.
The band later acknowledged this on their website.
We’ll see you in court.
The NFL had shied away from controversy in the halftime show following the unexpected incident where Justin Timberlake ripped off the front of Janet Jackson’s shirt in the early 2000s. Rapper M.I.A., best known for the song “Paper Planes,” drew the ire of the NFL during her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show with Madonna and Nicki Minja.
During the performance, MIA flashed the middle finger to the camera. The NFL wasn’t amused by the action. They took MIA to court and filed a $1.5 million claim before raising the fine to $16.6 million. MIA and the league settled the lawsuit out of court.
Kid Rock draws the ire of veterans.
Kid Rock was lucky. While Kid Rock, attempting to be a patriot, cut an American flag to use as a cape and drew criticism for defacing the American flag, few people would remember his mistake. Kid Rock’s error came during the same halftime show where Timberlake and Jackson had their incident.
One thing that came from the entire episode is the NFL decided to move forward with safer Super Bowl acts over the next several years. The NFL pursued more family-friendly events after the performance.
Eminem “protests” at Super Bowl
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show features a collection of the top rappers from the 1990s. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem, all making appearances on the halftime show, brought back many memories for people. There was some buildup in the lead-up to the game where it had been saying the league didn’t want anyone taking a knee during the performance as a form of protest against police brutality.
However, Eminem, who has a reputation as a fiery rogue, took a knee during his performance segment. While it caused some surprise when it initially happened, news that leaked after the game showed it may not have been as noble as it appeared. The NFL insisted that it greenlighted the move by Eminem.
