Super Bowl 2020: Lack of Kobe Bryant Halftime Tribute Sparks Outrage With Fans

Fans are not happy after Super Bowl 2020 didn’t pay special tribute to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant during the Pepsi Halftime Show in the wake of his death in a helicopter crash just a week ago. As the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs took to the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida a week to the day that Bryant and eight others passed in a Calabasas, California helicopter crash, Bryant and NFL’s Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman were mourned.

While the event did offer a tribute to Bryant, his daughter and the other victims of the helicopter crash, the promised halftime tribute never happened. This left many fans who tuned in confused.

“Shouldn’t have been some kind of half time tribute for [Kobe Bryant] during the [Super Bowl]???” one confused fan wrote.

“I was looking for a Kobe Bryant tribute,” another disappointed fan added.

“Where was this Kobe Bryant tribute they said was happening during the Super Bowl?” a third wondered.

“I’m watching halftime, looking forward to the Kobe tribute by Shakira and J-Lo but all I got was a strip show. I had to turn it off. Did they even honor Kobe Bryant after all the gyrating and pole dancing??” another confused fan added.

Just days ahead of the game, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced during the pre-Super Bowl press conference that Bryant would be honored at the game.

“I don’t think just Los Angeles is mourning the loss of Kobe Bryant,” Goodell said before announcing that both Bryant and Doleman, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 58 following a battle with cancer, would be honored. I think both of those individuals will be seen on Sunday in some fashion in a respectful way.”

Bryant, 41, had been traveling to his Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury, California with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, her teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, and five others when their helicopter crashed into a Calabasas hillside, leaving no survivors.

In the wake of the tragedy, a number of sports events have paid tribute to the lives lost, with a moment of silence having been held in Bryant’s honor during the Pro Bowl. As the moment of silence came to an end, the crowd erupted into chants of “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe.”

Speaking of the moment, Goodell said that he was “proud” of “the way our players, the way our league responded, including a moment of silence during the [Pro Bowl] game, put his picture up and the way the fans responded to that.”

“We did that again on Monday night,” he added. “So, we as a league have been very responsive and I think respectful of somebody who contributed so much to sports.”

Super Bowl LIV featuring the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 2 on FOX.