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The NFL quietly announced that Bad Bunny will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026, a choice that will set off another round of culture-war fireworks. For a league that used to aim for mass-appeal entertainers, this pick is the latest sign that NFL executives answer first to trend-chasers and PR agendas rather than the tastes of everyday Americans.
Fans who still value tradition and merit should be frank: the league is increasingly outsourcing its center stage to performers chosen for cultural signaling rather than broad, unifying entertainment. Conservatives have watched the NFL drift left for years, and this decision feeds the same pattern—rewarding artists who stir controversy and divide rather than celebrate shared American moments. This isn’t progress; it’s pandering.
It’s telling that Bad Bunny explicitly acknowledged he omitted mainland U.S. dates from a recent tour because of fears over ICE raids and immigration enforcement, a political stance that many Americans will see as a refusal to fully engage with U.S. audiences. If a performer is uncomfortable bringing shows to the mainland out of fear of government enforcement, fans should be allowed to ask whether that artist is the right choice to headline the nation’s biggest television moment.
The People and other outlets also reported that his tour planning deliberately left U.S. stops out, a fact that should factor into whether the NFL wants him representing a spectacle billed as an American institution. The league chose an artist who has publicly framed his tour decisions around U.S. immigration policy, which is a perfectly valid political viewpoint—one that should be weighed against the desires of the broad Super Bowl audience.
Predictably, conservative commentators erupted over the pick, arguing the NFL keeps alienating its traditional fan base by elevating artists who perform primarily in Spanish and take explicit political stances. That reaction isn’t about xenophobia or a hatred of culture; it’s about fairness, representation, and respect for the millions of fans who prefer halftime shows that don’t come with a lecture.
If the NFL wants to salvage credibility with everyday Americans, it should start by listening to them — not to corporate music executives, PR firms, or woke influencers. Fans and advertisers have power: they can demand halftime acts that unite rather than divide, and they can vote with their attention and dollars when leagues keep making choices that prioritize fashionable politics over entertainment value. The league’s next move will tell us whether it cares about football fans or only about being on the right side of the cultural elite.
