Vince Lombardi hologram makes speech before Super Bowl

Super Bowl LV viewers were treated to something rather unusual before the game: a speech from a hologram version of Vince Lombardi, brought to you by the NFL.

In what the league billed a “special presentation,” a CGI version of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach delivered a pregame speech that was clearly meant to bring fans together. The ad ended with the virtual Lombardi appearing on the Raymond James Stadium screens, concluding his speech, and fading away at the end.

When you defeat the Hologram Lombardi boss, he says one last line and fades away pic.twitter.com/oHacW30bp0

— Dan McQuade (@dhm) February 7, 2021

The ad was certainly ambitious, if a bit odd. Many noted the general oddness of CGI Lombardi’s appearance and how weird the entire concept was. Opinion was mostly split, as some found it inspiring while others found it alarming, confusing, or unintentionally amusing.

The league had the right idea with the commercial, but the execution on this one was probably better.