Unless you live under a rock or perhaps in a pineapple under the sea,the appearence of Spongbob playing during the halftime show may have you excited and/or feeling let down. But not everyone got the pop culture reference and your confusion is justified. What was this strange tribute? Are memes naturally occurring in the real world now? 

 It all began after the death of SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg in November. A petition was started on Change.org. https://www.change.org/p/nfl-have-sweet-victory-performed-at-the-super-bowl 

 The song wasn't written for the show, however. It was a tune performed by power ballad rocker David Glen Eisley, who partnered with Kiss' studio guitarist Bob Kulick to write the song. It wasn't what many were hoping for, which was an actual performance of "Sweet Victory." Those fans let their voices heard on social media afterwards.