The Super Bowl is over, but it scored with some fresh memes.
The New England Patriots beat the LA Rams 13-3, and everyone on social media was thrilled to see a rare Patriots championship. Ha ha ha boo hoo hoo, just kidding. Congrats, Pats fans, and everyone else… well, Twitter is there for you. “Kiss the trophy, Patriots. I hope the CDC smeared it (with) ebola,” wrote one.
Kiss the trophy, patriots. I hope the CDC smeared it woth ebola
— Carl B. (@therealcarl2) February 4, 2019
@tonyromo telling viewers to “enjoy it” about the Patriots. No one with a soul is enjoying this. NO ONE.
— DParks (@Route285) February 4, 2019
It’s always special to see a team win a Super Bowl for the first time, isn’t it?
— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) February 4, 2019
Other fans, whose teams didn’t even make it into the big game, had some sour grapes to eat.
In all seriousness though has there ever been a super bowl broadcast that doesn’t involve some kind of stat that reflects poorly on the history of the Minnesota Vikings?
— ArcticJer (@AverageJer) February 4, 2019
But for Pats fans, it was all na-na-na-NA-na, because haters gonna hate. Wrote one happy fan, “Sorry, L.A. Boston’s just better at this winning thing.”
The long-awaited Maroon 5 halftime show may have created more buzz than the actual football game.
Fans hoping for a tribute to SpongeBob Square Pants, in honor of the cartoon character’s late creator, Stephen Hillenburg didn’t get much, but they got something.
Some were thrilled to get any acknowledgement. “The Sponge Bob tribute the most interesting thing so far,” wrote one fan.
But others felt teased, and that it should have been longer. “That SpongeBob halftime show tease was beyond cruel,” wrote one.
That spongebob halftime show tease was beyond cruel
— Trey Kennedy (@TreyNKennedy) February 4, 2019
Savvy Super Bowl halftime watchers also noted that Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine displayed his nipples during the performance, while back in 2004, Janet Jackson’s accidental wardrobe malfunction caused a huge issue dubbed Nipplegate.
Super Bowl halftime nipple rules feel inconsistent
— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) February 4, 2019
How come Adam Levine gets to show his nipples and Janet Jackson doesn’t
— Vivian Ho (@VivianHo) February 4, 2019
One of the earliest events to spark social media buzz came when acclaimed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw his first pass of the game, which was intercepted by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton.
As you can imagine, non-Patriots fans delighted in seeing superstar Brady humbled, even if only briefly. “(Retweet) if you’ve thrown less interceptions than Tom Brady,” snarked one Twitter user.
RT if you’ve thrown less interceptions than Tom Brady
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) February 3, 2019
But don’t get too excited, Rams fans. “The Patriots are 3-1 in Super Bowls in which Tom Brady throws an interception,” Sports Illustrated tweeted.
The Patriots are 3-1 in Super Bowls in which Tom Brady throws an interception…
Just going to leave that fun fact here. Do with it as you please.
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 3, 2019
Before the interception, Brady made a notable entrance into the stadium, with sunglasses and headphones firmly in place. Naturally, New England fans loved it, with one Twitter user declaring, “The God of Football has arrived. …Brady always looking dapper.” And another Twitter user compared him to Avengers’ supervillain Thanos.
Not everyone was a fan.
here’s a thought i had watching tom brady’s stoic entrance to his like 75th super bowl: “hmmm that reminds me of ted bundy” 😬😬😬😬
— Allison Shaffer (@hummhallelujah) February 3, 2019
Brady’s jog out onto the field also stirred a reaction.
Tom Brady jogging out without a helmet and then grab a cup of Gatorade gotta be one of the coldest entrances I’ve seen since watching this sport.
— Tilly One Black Boy (@ill_sue_u) February 3, 2019
Would have been funny if Brady ran out, tripped over something and fell into the flames 🔥 at the entrance burning him to a crisp.
— Chri$$ (@shoppy131) February 3, 2019
Not all the Twitter jokes and memes involved on-screen action. A Bud Light ad set in the world of knights and castles suddenly turned into a Game of Thrones promo.
Bud Light’s mascot, the Bud Knight, apparently died an eye-gouging death along the lines of the famed death of Thrones’ Oberyn Martell at the hands (thumbs?) of The Mountain. Then came the dragons.
Fans expecting perhaps a real Game of Thrones trailer were as cold as a White Walker about this ad.
how is bud light currently producing more game of thrones content than george r.r. martin?
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 4, 2019
Game of Thrones just rickrolled a Bud Light ad?!?!?
— Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) February 4, 2019
Was that Bud Light / Game Of Thrones commercial canon?
— Noel Murray (@NoelMu) February 4, 2019
This story will be updated as the game progresses.