I approached this year’s Super Bowl halftime show bracing for the unremarkable. Groundbreaking wasn’t on my radar, nor was a performance destined for lasting memory. I simply hoped for something…appropriate, something befitting the uniquely American spectacle the Super Bowl has become.
That basic expectation went unmet. From the outset, the selection of Bad Bunny felt fundamentally misaligned. This wasn’t about political leanings, or whether an artist aligns with any particular figure. The core issue was far more foundational.
The Super Bowl isn’t merely another concert. It’s a national event, broadcast to tens of millions, explicitly marketed as a celebration of American culture. While the United States thrives on its diversity, a shared cultural foundation remains vital.
That foundation, arguably, is language. English serves as the essential connective tissue for a nation of immense scale and varied backgrounds. A halftime show overwhelmingly presented in a language inaccessible to most viewers risks fracturing that connection, creating distance instead of unity.
This isn’t a dismissal of Spanish music or the artists who create it. Bad Bunny’s popularity is undeniable, his success well-earned. His music deserves its audience. But the Super Bowl halftime show demands something beyond individual appeal.
It requires a moment that resonates broadly, a shared experience for the American public. That resonance was conspicuously absent. Objectively, the performance itself lacked energy, engagement, and genuine connection with the viewers at home.
The set design felt underwhelming, the energy flat. Even divorced from the language barrier, it was simply a dull spectacle, failing to justify its placement on such a monumental stage. It was, quite simply, a disappointing performance.
The situation was further complicated by the immediate politicization of the event – not from the right, but from the left. The selection itself was framed as a cultural statement, transforming the halftime show into a symbol rather than a celebration.
The Super Bowl shouldn’t be leveraged to advance ideological arguments about identity or culture. Plenty of past performers haven’t shared conservative viewpoints, yet they understood a crucial responsibility: connect with the audience.
They communicated in a shared language and delivered a performance tailored to the occasion. This halftime show failed on all counts. It was a misstep, and it should serve as a valuable lesson. The Super Bowl is an American institution, and its halftime show deserves to be treated with corresponding respect for its audience.
