Super Bowl 51 Is Basically The 2016 Election

I don't know about you, but I really appreciate when events — elections, football games, you know — aren't so close that it becomes uncomfortable. Call me crazy, but I like feeling cozy with a huge score gap, or the certainty that my candidate has the electoral college vote on lock. Unfortunately, that didn't exactly happen during the 2016 presidential election, with Donald Trump coming from behind to cinch the vote (even though rival Hillary Clinton had the popular vote by 2.8 million people, but you know, whatever, democracy, I guess). And now, Super Bowl 51 and that fated election are starting to feel eerily similar.

The Atlanta Falcons took an early lead, leaving the Patriots in their dust. But at the half, the Patriots were seemingly renewed, bringing the score closer than ever. With such a quick turn of events, many began comparing it to the shocking 2016 Election Day, in which Clinton lost the vote after appearing to have the win on lock for months.

Because now, Super Bowl 51 is officially the first ever Super Bowl to go into overtime, with the score tied at 28 across the board, and no more points to be had as time ran out on the clock. Within minutes, the Patriots had come back with one last overtime touchdown, sealing the Falcons' fate and taking the victory as their own.

When Super Bowl 51 was at its halftime, the score was a seemingly locked in, with the Falcons leading the Patriots at 21-3, leading many to believe the Falcons would ultimately win the night altogether.

The first game in Super Bowl history to go in to a sudden death overtime, this particular matchup could not be more similar to the presidential election last year. At the start of both nights, one team seemed to have it all on lock. The Clinton team, and the Falcons. Early leads can be, well, misleading though, and soon, both were proven wrong as the opposition rose steadily.

Of course, as overtime waged on, and the Trump-endorsed Patriots took over, many pointed out that the comparison of the game to election night was far too painful.

And then, finally, the Patriots won Super Bowl 51. Donald Trump is probably somewhere, smiling about his team's win and readying his Twitter-fingers.

But take heart, my friends. This, at least, was only a game, and while the pain is still fresh, at least we can rest assured that no international consequences will come of what has happened tonight. Probably, that is. Honestly, who knows at this point?