<\/p>\n
Somewhere along the line, many Americans got the idea that significant public performances have to be bland and pitched to the lowest common denominator. These people feel entitled to not be offended, and the list of things that offend them is long indeed.<\/p>\n
So when Puerto Rico\u2019s genre-defining artist Bad Bunny was announced Monday as the headliner of Super Bowl LX\u2019s halftime show, those folks got big, big mad. Maybe even madder than they were last year, when rapper Kendrick Lamar grabbed the spot.<\/p>\n
After all, to the uninitiated, Lamar\u2019s main pop-culture calling card was his feud with Canadian rapper Drake \u2014 and most of those watching were awaiting the now-famous verses of \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d that started \u201cHey Drake, I hear you like \u2018em young\u2026\u201d Lamar delivered, with a justifiably viral tease that featured Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam.<\/p>\n
Amid all that chatter, few among the pearl-clutching set seemed to notice that Lamar delivered one of the most slyly subversive performances in recent Super Bowl history \u2014 with Jackson\u2019s narration a thematic urging to the singer to tone down his message, an admonition Lamar joyfully ignored.<\/p>\n
Bad Bunny, whose off-stage name is Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio, won\u2019t get away with that weave-and-dodge. In fact, the complaints are already pouring in. First came the lament that nobody has heard of him \u2014 well, except the people who have listened to his music more than 100 billion times from sites like Spotify, making him second only to Taylor Swift as the most-streamed artist of all time. Or the people who snapped up more than 400,000 tickets in less than four hours to his 31-concert \u201cresidency\u201d in San Juan. Or the people who made his sixth album Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos) one of the best-selling of 2025.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to mention the people who have seen Ocasio in acting roles, including most recently the Happy Gilmore sequel, or his turns hosting SNL \u2014 which he\u2019ll do for a third time for the Oct. 4 season opener. (Do yourself a favor and pull up the Shrek sketch on YouTube. You\u2019re welcome.)<\/p>\n
Then, of course, came the shrieks of protest at the realization that Ocasio will almost certainly perform his halftime show in Spanish. Those who viewed this as un-American seem to forget that there are upwards of 40 million American citizens who speak, and think, Spanish as their primary language. That\u2019s about 13% of the population.<\/p>\n
And of course, there are the \u2014 quite valid \u2014 fears that Ocasio will use the worldwide stage to speak up about the injustices many of those Americans and legal U.S. residents are facing right now. After all, he designed his world tour (which restarts in November) without any dates in the continental U.S. And the artist has been blunt about the reason: He\u2019s afraid Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will target his shows to round up Latinos \u2014 with little regard for whether they are in the country legally or even native-born citizens, as all Puerto Ricans are.<\/p>\n
Given the scope of the injustice ICE is visiting on millions of innocent people \u2014 not just those detained, but those who are living their lives in increasing fear \u2014 a little criticism in a Super Bowl halftime show is not too much to bear.<\/p>\n
Finally, let\u2019s address those who say the NFL is selling out its core audience with a non-traditional performance. But what counts as \u201ctraditional?\u201d New Kids on the Block\u2019s notably torpid 1991 set, which included for some reason a rendition of \u201cIt\u2019s a Small World (After All)\u201d? Justin Timberlake\u2019s apparently calculated decision to rip off Janet Jackson\u2019s top in 2004? Maroon 5\u2019s decision to play in 2019, despite brewing controversy over the NFL\u2019s treatment of Colin Kaepernick?<\/p>\n
Those who say the NFL should \u201cknow its audience\u201d are deeply out of touch. The NFL knows very well what it\u2019s doing: For most Americans, football is the most-followed sport \u2014 but there are still audiences to capture, and the league knows that its biggest challenge is to reach viewers who haven\u2019t considered American football worth watching before now. They\u2019re confident, with good reason, that people who actually watch a game will likely find it an entertaining experience, worth repeating.<\/p>\n
The reality is this: In terms of musical influence, talent and popularity, Bad Bunny is a great pick for Super Bowl LX. He\u2019s a worthy advocate for Puerto Ricans, both at home and those who have spread through the continental United States \u2014 to the great benefit of Central Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have made their homes. And he\u2019s a massive talent, well-placed in the pantheon of halftime show greats, including Prince, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and the Rolling Stones.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be a hell of a show \u2014 because that\u2019s what Bad Bunny delivers, every time.<\/p>\n
Some Americans will be too closed-off to see that. Well, there are snacks in the kitchen. And when your friends and family tell you what a great show you missed, take comfort: There\u2019s always YouTube.<\/p>\n