This year a controversial SodaStream ad featuring US actress Scarlett Johansson is set to air today during the Super Bowl, despite an earlier ban. it's not the first controversy surrounding the entertainment at America's biggest sporting event.
SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum told USA Today the ad was originally banned from the broadcast because it featured the line: "Sorry Coke and Pepsi."
The line has since been taken out and the commercial looks set to air during the Super Bowl on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
But the SodaStream ad also sparked a political controversy for Johansson, who was forced to stand down from her position as ambassador for charity Oxfam after a backlash against her association with SodaStream, which has a factory in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Cheerios ad sparks race debate
Last year a Super Bowl commercial for cereal brand Cheerios, which featured a multiracial couple, sparked a race debate after the ad generated a slew of racist commentary online, prompting Cheerios to disable comments on YouTube.
Janet Jackson's nipple art
Janet Jackson’s famous"wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Superbowl made headlines around the world. The US singer was performing live with popstar Justin Timberlake when her breast was exposed, revealing a "nipple shield". The incident generated widespread debate about broadcasting standards.
Kid Rock labelled 'un-American'
Also in 2004, Kid Rock performed in the halftime show wearing a stars-and-stripes poncho, causing outrage among many US viewers who complained he was desecrating the flag.
MIA lashes out at crowd
MIA was criticised for her 2012 Superbowl performance in which she made a rude gesture at the crows while signing the lyrics, "I don’t give a s***.”
Adulterous Ashley rejected
Ashley Madison, a dating site that encourages people to have extra-marital affairs, gets their ad rejected in 2011 by Fox. The ad, intended for play during the Super Bowl, features a woman, who has just been betrayed by her busband, ripping off her clothes and joining the Ashley Madison "club".
Prince's phallic performance
During the 2007 half time show, the shadow of Prince's guitar behind a sheet casts what some interpreted as a crude shape. There was little uproar, however, as people were probably still recovering from 2004's "nipplegate".
Prince's questionable shadow projection during 2007's Super Bowl half time show (Getty).
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