The NFL hasn’t exactly shown much interest in what conservatives or frankly, people who still value American culture and tradition think for quite a while now. If there were any doubts left, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show probably settled them. And yes, it managed to be even worse than many of us expected.
Before he ever stepped on stage, anyone who questioned the choice was instantly branded “racist,” as if that ended the conversation. But the issue was never about language. Plenty of Americans enjoy music in other languages. The real problem is the message Bad Bunny has repeatedly sent about the United States itself.
The performance itself was almost entirely in Spanish, which in a vacuum wouldn’t matter. What did matter was how it ended. He closed with three English words “God Bless America” but it was clear he wasn’t using that phrase in the traditional, patriotic sense most Americans understand it.
Right after that, he began listing mostly Latin American countries while performers waved those flags on the field. He followed it up, in Spanish, with a line about love being more powerful than hate, and then spiked a football that read, “Together, we are America.” The implication was obvious: “America” wasn’t the United States, but a broader concept meant to blur national identity altogether.
My friend Laura Powell, a California attorney, summed it up well. She reminded people that Bad Bunny was criticized back in October for refusing to stand during “God Bless America” at a Yankees game. So when he said the phrase during the Super Bowl, it wasn’t some olive branch. It was a deliberate reframing. In Spanish, “América” is often used to describe an entire continent, and that’s exactly how he was using it stripping the phrase of its meaning as a statement of pride in the United States.
Notably, Lady Gaga actually sang in English, which at least felt appropriate for an American event watched by hundreds of millions. Others rushed to defend the show, including Anthony Scaramucci, who, as usual, missed the point entirely. Former RedState editor Kira Davis, on the other hand, nailed the criticism and then drove it home even harder.
What’s telling is that I’ve already heard from friends whose first language is Spanish, and even they struggled to understand what Bad Bunny was saying. So this wasn’t just “culture” or “representation.” It was confusion layered on top of a political statement.
President Trump didn’t mince words on Truth Social, calling the halftime show one of the worst ever and a slap in the face to the country. He criticized the lack of clarity, the inappropriate dancing for a family audience, and the way the performance failed to reflect American standards of excellence. Predictably, the media will praise it anyway, but that says more about them than it does about the show.
And let’s not forget that Green Day also performed, which John Ondrasik was quick to point out another reminder of how far these events have drifted from anything resembling a unifying American moment.
No one expects every halftime show to be legendary, but is it too much to ask that the NFL aim a little higher? This is one of the few moments when the entire country is watching together. It should feel like it belongs to the nation hosting it.
Personally, when I think of great halftime shows, I think of Prince in the rain, or ZZ Top keeping it simple and unmistakably American.
What were your favorite Super Bowl halftime show performances?
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