Overview
#SuperBowlLVI celebrated the Los Angeles Rams’ 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The game marked the Rams’ second Super Bowl championship and delivered a star-studded halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent.
The Game
The Rams overcame a second-half deficit with clutch performances:
- Cooper Kupp: Super Bowl MVP with 8 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TDs (including game-winning score)
- Aaron Donald: Defensive dominance in final minutes sealed victory
- Matthew Stafford: First championship after 12 years with Detroit Lions
- Sean McVay: Became youngest head coach (36) to win Super Bowl
The Bengals—led by second-year QB Joe Burrow—exceeded expectations just to reach the game after finishing 4-11-1 the previous season.
The Halftime Show
The hip-hop halftime show became one of the most acclaimed in Super Bowl history:
- Historic: First predominantly hip-hop performance (genre long excluded)
- LA celebration: Featured West Coast rap legends in their hometown
- Cultural moment: Eminem took a knee (controversial political gesture)
- 50 Cent surprise: Appeared upside-down performing “In Da Club”
- Emmy win: Won Outstanding Variety Special
The performance was seen as the NFL finally embracing hip-hop culture after decades of resistance.
Crypto Bowl
Super Bowl LVI became known as “Crypto Bowl” for record cryptocurrency advertising:
- FTX, Coinbase, Crypto.com, eToro all ran ads
- Coinbase’s QR code bouncing ad crashed their app
- In hindsight: Marked peak of crypto hype before 2022 crash (Luna, Celsius, FTX collapses)
Viewership
- Total viewers: 112.3 million (most-watched TV event since 2020)
- Demographics: Strong streaming numbers (11.2M on Peacock)
- Ads: $6.5M per 30-second spot