Clever ‘SpongeBob’ Reference Puts 49ers To Shame In Super Bowl LVIII

The San Francisco 49ers were the butt of a nostalgic joke made at the perfect moment during the opening drive of Super Bowl LVIII.

After the Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred, the 49ers were on a roll, driving the ball into Kansas City territory. That promising start, however, proved to be short-lived after San Francisco’s Christan McCaffrey fumbled, which allowed the Chiefs to recover in jaw-dropping fashion.

Those who tuned in and watched live during Nickelodeon’s coverage of the game rather than the CBS Sports telecast were treated to a much different commentary. Instead of ex-quarterback Tony Romo, Nickelodeon brought out Patrick Star from the classic cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and the iconic character dropped an even-more iconic line after the McCaffrey fumble.

“You have to firmly grasp it,” Patrick Star said.

For those who grew up watching episodes of “SpongeBob” on Saturday mornings in the early 2000s, the line was a trip back in time. During the show’s first season, Patrick used the line in an episode that ended up being one of the all-time most memorable.

There wasn’t a more perfect time to revisit that joke, although it came at San Francisco’s expense.