On the 8th of February 2026, Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican musical artist performed Super Bowl LX’s halftime show. He did so entirely in his language of origin, Spanish. The current year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States founding in 1776, and what better way to celebrate American history than the Super Bowl? This was the mindset of the majority of viewers tuning in to the beloved event, causing anger and outrage when the idea of a “Non-American” musician was set to perform.
Bad Bunny being chosen was not controversial strictly because he originated from Puerto Rico, as he has also previously made a multitude of statements that can be considered a direct contradiction to conservative beliefs. Bad Bunny has openly considered himself Anti-Trump and Anti-ICE through media, his songs, and even the 2026 Grammys where he iconically declared “ICE OUT” in protest of the government agency, contributing to even more hate.
American football was first conceived in 1869, in a match between the colleges Rutgers and Princeton. It was thought of as a combination of Rugby and soccer. Football’s influence skyrocketed because of the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants, which is still referred to as the “Greatest Game Ever Played”. The game was seen by millions and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. By the mid-1960s, football had become the most popular sport in the United States. Even now, Football is still predominantly known as “America’s Sport” which is why so many disagree with Bad Bunny performing at half-time.
Contrary to popular belief, Puerto Rico has been a United States territory since 1898, a lengthy amount of time, suitable enough to consider its citizens American and partakers in the American way and its western values.
The concept of a non-state territory being “American” does not settle with the public, additionally around 50% of the total population has no idea of its status in conjunction with the States. The lack of the populace’s approval and the scarcity of informed persons is the main reason some disagree with the choice of performer.
To satisfy the relentless demands, Turning Point USA, an organization founded with the intent to bring conservatism to the youth, staged a half time performance of their own in a more “American” fashion. In the attempt to portray such an outlandish contradiction to the scheduled show, Turning Point USA invited outspokenly conservative musician Kid Rock as their main act. This caused a commotion, sparking comments of racism and hate, dividing our country’s already crumbling political state even more.
Nevertheless, Bad Bunny still stepped on to the field as scheduled and sang some of his most famous hits, earning praise from newly introduced viewers and longer time fans. The performance concluded with a legion of flag bearers striding across the terrain, each holding a flag of the countries in the Americas, symbolizing his idea that “together, we are America”, one big nation with or without borders.