This week, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob SquarePants, passed away following complication with ALS, with which he was diagnosed last year. Since his death, fans worldwide have come forward with nothing but love and support in the spirit of the creator of the beloved cartoon series. Now fans are taking their support a step further as they have launched a new petition in order to get the National Football League to pay tribute to Hillenburg at next year’s Super Bowl matchup.
Supporters have taken to Change.org in a specific campaign to get the NFL to play the “Sweet Victory” track, pulled from the show, during the halftime show of the championship game in February. The track was originally performed in the “Band Geeks” episode in Season 2 of Spongebob Squarepants. The song debuts in a scene in which Squidward assumes the position of conductor as a full band of Bikini Bottom citizens led by Spongebob delivered an inspired performance in front of a crowd of humans above water at an event similar to the Super Bowl set up.
"As some of you may or may not know, Stephen Hillenburg-the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants-has passed away recently," writes Israel Colunga, creator of the petition. "As a tribute to his legacy, his contributions to a generation of children, and to truly showcase the greatness of this song, we call for 'Sweet Victory' to be performed at the Halftime Show."
Currently, Maroon 5 is booked as the halftime show’s headliner when it all goes down in Atlanta in February, but maybe the nearly 200,000 supporters will convince Adam Levine to interpolate “Sweet Victory” somewhere in that expected medley.