Sweet, Sweet Victory
The Super Bowl is one of the most valued events in American culture. The anticipation of which team will win, the comic relief from the unique commercials, and the amazing results of the halftime show give the viewers a large output of joy and excitement. This year, however, millions of individuals around the United States were left in disappointment after the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show. What many believed would be the perfect tribute to a late celebrity quickly turned into a viral rampage. The rampage is the result of Maroon 5 referencing the classic Spongebob Squarepants song “Sweet Victory” being referenced, but not performed, during this year’s show.
Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the historically popular children’s show, passed away on November 26, 2018, after a long battle with ALS. According to his official Wikipedia page, Hillenburg revealed that he had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis to Variety magazine in March of 2017. ALSA says that this deadly disease slowly degenerates neurons within the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control and, eventually, death. The cartoonist thanked the community for their overwhelming support but asked that he have privacy with his family in these dark times. His year-and-a-half-long battle was long and tragic, but his legacy will be remembered for many years to come.
In Hillenburg’s honor, a petition was created to have the memorable song “Sweet Victory” from a football-themed episode of the show performed during the 2019 Halftime Show. As of the day of the event, 1,210,669 people have signed this petition, making it one of the most popular petitions on change.org. The petition was created just after Stephen’s passing, and continued to gain support in the following months. After over one-million signatures and viral internet posts about the movement online, those who had signed in order to mourn the creator’s death finally received what they had asked for.
Many sources, one being the site WhatsTrending Maroon 5 eventually teased their appearance at the Super Bowl with a short clip of the animated television program, seemingly confirming that the song would be performed in Stephen’s memory. Nostalgic citizens around the globe, mostly in the U.S., rejoiced at the success of the petition. Many people who normally do not watch the Super Bowl tuned in to the game just to watch the Halftime Show so they could see “Sweet Victory” be performed on live television. What many thought would be the greatest performance of all time, however, would quickly turn into a disappointment that would take the internet by storm.
During one point in the Maroon 5 performance, the lead singer, Adam Levine, stopped on stage and all went silent as a clip from the September 7, 2001 episode of Spongebob Squarepants “Band Geeks” started to play. The entire stadium cheered in unison, anticipating what was to come, but just seconds later the triumphant trumpets of the Bikini Bottom Band transitioned into the instrumental beginning of music artist Drake’s hit song, “Sicko Mode,” as rapper Travis Scott took to the stage. While there was no audible booing during the performance, the internet rampage begun before the game was even over. Posts on social media insulting Maroon 5, along with the entirety of the NFL, started to appear across every major social media platform, and countless memes about the incident went viral overnight. Neither Maroon 5 or the NFL have made statements regarding the performance.
This year, there was nothing but disappointment for the now grown fans of the show mourning the loss of the creator of the popular program that many of today’s High School and College students grew up watching. There is still hope, however, as another petition to have the song performed at the 2020 Super Bowl has already been launched on change.org, with an astounding 2,109 supporters within hours. In the last five minutes (as I am writing this article), roughly thirty more people have signed the petition. Perhaps Spongebob fans will finally get their “Sweet Victory” that they have been waiting for since Hillenburg’s unfortunate passing.