As a Kansas City Chiefs fan, I was only disappointed by the fact that my team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year.
When watching Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 some things stood out to me: the commercials, the celebrities, the quarterbacks and the halftime show. These stood out the most to me because I am more into the pop culture that surrounds the game.
The commercials of every Super Bowl tend to always be one of the biggest topics of conversation next to the game itself. This year, Al ads were on a roll. These only caught my attention because there were, surprisingly, a lot of them. Personally, my favorites were the Levis, Michelob Ultra and Fanatic Sportsbook Kendall Jenner ads. They were funny, nostalgic and included some familiar celebrity faces. These features are what I believe makes a great ad.
Backstory | Levi’s® Behind Every Original
The Levi’s commercial predominantly kept the camera on the butts of people like Woody from Toy Story, singer Doechii, and many other familiar faces, all coming from different backgrounds wearing the same jeans with the same small red tag displaying Levis. The repetition and different backgrounds in this ad is what made me love it. The Levis name was constantly popping up while also telling a story about their brand and how it is made for everyone.
The ULTRA Instructor ft. Kurt Russell, Lewis Pullman, Chloe Kim, & TJ Oshie | Michelob ULTRA
Michelob Ultra’s commercial caught my attention. I found it funny because the whole plot of the commercial was avoiding buying beers for everyone. Kurt Russell made it a high stakes situation and Eye of the Tiger playing in the background made it nostalgic and comical.
Bet On Kendall :90 | Fanatics Sportsbook
My all-time favorite out of the commercials played during the Super Bowl was the Fanatic Sportsbook commercial with Kendall Jenner. I think Fanatic Sportsbook is smart for marketing the rumors surrounding Kendall Jenner’s dating history. I found this one engaging and funny because she is going through all these expensive things in her house explaining whether she received it from sports betting or from previous boyfriends. At the end of the commercial, she talks about moving on to football players. I love when companies get in on rumors or drama surrounding celebrities, because it allows celebrities to comment on it. And most of the time, the celebrities’ responses are surprising.
Every year I look forward to seeing what celebrities show up to the Super Bowl. You can tell who is there for a fashion show and who is there for the game. Some of the celebrities that were there included Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Chris Pratt, Jon Bon Jovi and many others. I will let you take a guess on which ones were there for the actual game.
Drake Maye, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, and Sam Darnold, the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, were the faces of the game. As I watched, the more I learned about each of them.
Drake Maye has been the quarterback for the New England Patriots since 2024. Many know that Tom Brady was the long-time leader for the Patriots, winning six Super Bowls for the team. Now that Maye has become the starting quarterback and led the team to the Super Bowl, there was a lingering comparison between the two players before, during and after the Super Bowl. But what was able to set them slightly apart was the fact that none of the players on the New England Patriots played with Tom Brady as their quarterback. Maye’s wife, Ann Micheal Maye, was also a topic of discussion. She has gained a following from her never-ending support of her husband, even earning herself the nickname “Queen of the North.”
Sam Darnold comments pertained to his career before joining the Seattle Seahawks. Darnold was drafted in 2018 by the New York Jets, being the 3rd overall pick. Shortly after three seasons with the Jets, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. In 2022, the Panthers did not renew his contract, making him a free agent. In 2023, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup quarterback to Brock Purdy. After his year-long contract expired from the 49ers, he then signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. After that contract ended, he signed another one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Leading the team to a Super Bowl win. His path to today is inspiring and considered a great career comeback.
The pregame show, the national anthem and the halftime show were great performances by all musical guests. The overall entertainment at Super Bowl LX showed inclusivity, unity and talent. The talk leading up to Super Bowl LX surrounding the entertainment there was a lot of negativity. I largely believe this is because of the politicization of headliner Bad Bunny, who was chosen for the main event.
For those who do not know, Jay-Z and his company Roc Nation are the deciding party for the headliners for the Super Bowl. They have been the deciding party since August of 2019. Many speculate that the NFL, Jay-Z, and his company chose Bad Bunny as the headliner to stir up emotions and talk for the Super Bowl, due largely to the recent Immigration and Customs Reinforcement raids and arrests. If this was their plan it was achieved, but I don’t think they expected this big of a debacle over Bad Bunny headlining.
What I think balanced all these emotions out was the special guests during the pregame and halftime shows. I think many people believed it would just be Bad Bunny as the performer, leading them to the conclusion that the entertainment was just going to be in Spanish. Since the ‘60s, there have been pregame shows and other special guest performers as entertainment for the Super Bowl. There has not been one performer as the Super Bowl’s main form of entertainment.
