Staff Reports
The NFL’s latest halftime show has stirred up quite the comedic controversy, putting the spotlight on Cody Johnson’s runaway chart success with his new song, “Till You Can’t.” Sharing the stage with Gabby Barrett and Kid Rock at the Turning Point halftime show was a calculated decision that appears to have resonated well with audiences. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s performance seems to have left many scratching their heads—or their ears, to be more precise.
Inside the stadium, you couldn’t miss the spectacle of fans acting more like, well, statues. The usual dance party vibes that accompany a show of this magnitude were conspicuously absent. The accusation? Bad Bunny’s performance was lost in translation—literally. For those who paid premium prices expecting a high-energy halftime experience, the show delivered what one might call a “silent film” in the age of talkies, with foreign beats that just didn’t translate.
The scene inside bars across America wasn’t much different. Fans, plates of nachos at the ready, seemed more interested in their food than the field. It’s tough to get excited when you can’t understand a single word—or so the feedback seems to say. Spanish speakers reportedly didn’t fare much better in deciphering the lyrics, making it a universal puzzle that united people across the linguistic divide.
While some fans on social media humorously toyed with the idea of calling ICE because of the confusion, others questioned why the NFL would choose such an act for their flagship game, particularly during Black History Month. The commentary might have been tongue-in-cheek, but it echoed a broader sentiment that the performance felt misplaced. The Super Bowl is not the World Cup, they argued, and an English-speaking audience deserves a halftime show in, well, English.
In the aftermath, the numbers speak for themselves: Cody Johnson winning the popularity contest against Bad Bunny, with a clear advantage. It seems as though the only dancing being done was by those trying to dance around the issue of language relevance at America’s favorite football event. The NFL might want to consider this a lesson in keeping their cultural touchdowns within familiar end zones.
