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Following the Super Bowl, which saw Turning Point USA host a rival halftime show after the NFL tapped Bad Bunny for its official performance, country star Lee Brice took to Instagram with a short message that quickly drew criticism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On February 9, Brice shared a clip from the night before, when he debuted a new song during Turning Point USA\u2019s \u201cAll-American Halftime Show,\u201d<\/a> an event promoted by the conservative organization as an alternative to the NFL\u2019s<\/a> official halftime production. The show was labeled by Turning Point as a patriotic, country-focused response to what it framed as the league\u2019s increasingly political and culturally progressive entertainment choices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brice captioned the clip with a grumpy lyric from the unreleased song, writing, \u201cIt ain\u2019t easy being country in this country nowadays.\u201d The track is titled “Country Nowadays,” and the nine-word caption immediately became the focus of discussion in the singer’s<\/a> post comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Turning Point USA heavily promoted the alternative halftime show in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, framing it as a celebration of traditional American values.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The organization criticized the NFL\u2019s selection of Bad Bunny, a global pop star who primarily performs in Spanish, arguing that the league was ignoring large portions of its audience. The event featured country music performances and political commentary, and was livestreamed to supporters rather than broadcast on television.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n