Athletes who stood out during the Super Bowl – just not in the game!

According to the Wall Street Journal, 115 million people watched Super Bowl XLVII in 2024. The concentration of attention gives celebrities, advertisers and athletes who aren’t participating in the big game an enormous platform to remain relevant and keep their brands relevant. We’ll look back at athletes who were able to do that during this year’s Super Bowl, and in years past.

For the second year in a row, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski attempted a 25-yard field goal that would have netted FanDuel bettors $10 million in bonus bets. For the second consecutive Super Bowl, Gronkowski was not able to nail the boot. It’ll be interesting to see if he thinks the third try will be the charm in 2025

The Argentinian sensation reminded sports fans that even though the football season has come to an end, there’s still a different type of football to lean into this spring and summer. Lionel Messi expertly pushed the ball down a beach as he waited for his Michelob Ultra to be served, as only he can.

Even though this was his first season away from the NFL, Tom Brady’s presence was still felt early and often during this year’s Super Bowl. He appeared in an ad for BetMGM where Vince Vaughn claimed that he was the only person on the planet who couldn’t use the platform because Brady had “won too much” already in his life.

Not to be outdone, Brady was cast in another Super Bowl commercial for Dunkin Donuts alongside Boston sports fan Ben Affleck. With Matt Damon present as well, the three men joined forces to join a “Dunking” boy band that was designed to embarrass Jennifer Lopez. It was a lighter side of Brady that NFL fans seldom saw.

The premise of UberEats’ Super Bowl spot was “in order to remember something, you have to forget something else.” Appearing alongside his wife Victoria, David Beckham and his spouse conveniently forgot which popular band she used to be a part of. They guessed “Pepper Ladies” and “Cinnamon Sisters”, predictably never landing on “Spice Girls.”

NFL fans were locked into a heavy dose of Tony Romo on Super Bowl Sunday, as the former quarterback called the game for CBS, and appeared in a Skechers commercial with Mr. T. Romo reminded viewers that the shoe brand’s name is not spelled with a “T”, something which upset the former A-Team TV star.

Bud Light has been a fixture in Super Bowl commercials for decades, and based their 2024 spot on the premise of granting wishes. One person wishes that Peyton Manning could be their friend. Sure enough, the former NFL quarterback appeared out of thin air, sitting next to the patron at the bar.

Paramount featured an advertisement involving Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Stewart, Arnold from “Hey Arnold”, and the band Creed. It wasn’t exactly a natural pairing, but the team bonded together to help scale a towering mountain. Tagovailoa tried to throw a grappling hook to help them escape, but it didn’t get high enough.

Kawasaki spent the big bucks to promote its new Ridge vehicle and used the slogan “business in the front, party in the back” to get people’s attention. At the end of the commercial, former WWE wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is seen splitting a boulder in half, while a mullet appears at the back of his head.

Former NFL quarterback Dan Marino is one of the most popular athletes ever not to win a championship, and leaned into this in an M&M’s commercial. The spot revolves around M&M’s turning peanut butter into diamonds featured in championship rings that were given to those who “almost won” the big one.

One of the most famous Super Bowl commercials ever was aired in 1979, and highlighted a player with a perception for a stern disposition. A child watches a limping Joe Greene(former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker) enter the locker room, and offers him his Coca Cola. Greene eventually accepts the soda, which puts a smile on his face, and he gives the child his jersey.

Before their dynamic partnership in the 1996 film “Space Jam”, Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan teamed up to defeat basketball players in 1993 while promoting Air Jordan sneakers. In doing so, Bugs pulled some Looney Tunes shenanigans that helped make the game a bit more entertaining.

Jordan was part of another famous 1993 Super Bowl commercial, as Larry Bird suggested that the two play “Horse” for the privilege of eating Jordan’s Big Mac and French fries. The two exchange crazy ideas about shots they don’t think the other can make, it an attempt to secure the desired lunch.

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen has not been shy about opening up the checkbook since he bought the New York Mets in 2020. He spent $1.5 million on a Super Bowl ad featuring Mets players working in a ticket office. Stars like Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz would answer the phone as customer service agents, locking fans into season tickets.

The Buffalo Bills experienced supreme Super Bowl heartache in the 1990’s. However, they fared slightly better in a Super Bowl commercial aired in 1996, where head coach Marv Levy told the team that they couldn’t leave the facility until they won it all. Players like Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith realized that this meant they would have more Snickers, so the message was well received.