Last week, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. But, their rivalry was not the only feud of the night — in fact, it likely wasn’t even the most contentious.
Bad Bunny delivered a Halftime Show turned political controversy: a production praised by Democrats as a unifying and cultural celebration, while condemned by Republicans — including Florida U.S. House of Representative Randy Fine — who dubbed it “disgusting” and “illegal.”
In a post on X, Fine took issue with Bad Bunny’s lyrics, arguing the crude themes in his songs justified legal action by Brendan Carr’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Fine maintained that if Bad Bunny’s songs were in English, the broadcast would have been shut down. Fine’s comments are particularly sensitive considering they are in relation to a show dense with cultural symbolism amid a divisive political climate.
Bad Bunny’s performance was just a week after the musician won the Album of the Year Grammy for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, and declared “ICE out” in his acceptance speech. Though his halftime performance did not call out forced removals as explicitly as at the Grammy’s, the singer emphasized national unity, including a billboard displayed at the end of his act proclaiming, “The only thing stronger than hate is love.”
The majority of Bad Bunny’s show was an allusion to his Puerto Rican heritage. The set design included light poles, an emblem for Puerto Rico’s history of electricity problems. As Bad Bunny stood on top of the light posts, he sang “El Apagón,” which translates to “The Blackout.” The track addresses post-Hurricane Maria difficulties and administrative deception, issues which were only further complicated by the island’s economic and governmental ties to the United States. Puerto Rico has a complex arrangement with the States. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico and its citizens have an elaborate agreement in terms of rights (or the lack thereof), the extent to which they are independent and free, and their accompanying legal obligations to the United States. Overall, the light-post moment was an unmistakable assertion of Puerto Rico’s history and a simultaneous declaration of Latino Pride.
Bad Bunny concluded his performance with a colorful display of the flags of each autonomous country within the Americas, followed by expressly stating each nation’s name, including the USA, and in a powerful, final affirmation, Puerto Rico.
Viewers anticipated before the Super Bowl that Bad Bunny would include significant ethnic and cultural symbolism in his show, as his songs often address controversial topics that serve as fuel for the acute political divide in the United States. Despite these expectations, responses to the Halftime Show were prevalent and intense. Recently, the FCC responded to Representative Fine’s complaint and determined Bad Bunny’s performance did not warrant a fine. Profanity regulations were not violated, and explicit words were either changed or removed from the broadcast, according to reporting by MSN.
Though public support for the halftime show remains split, students at Colby are commending Bad Bunny for his messaging.
“I loved the performance,” says Lena Marinell `28. “I thought it included many of the themes the Super Bowl wanted. It was fun, upbeat, and it dealt with subjects that would’ve been unfortunate to ignore given the time.”
Maya Rogers `29 responded similarly. When asked whether she thought the halftime show, and sporting events more generally, should avoid political content, she said, “I think partisan topics definitely should be included. It would feel disingenuous to ignore our current times.”
Though some students took issue with the halftime show, their critiques were not in regards to Bad Bunny’s messaging.
“It felt a little rushed,” Ben Bognon `29 said. Bognon thought certain parts of the performance were unnecessary, citing celebrity cameos like Alix Earle.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX performance aspired to mend the wounds of a politically strained America — or maybe more simply, to augment awareness. The show re-centered the national focus, incorporating Puerto Rico and other Latin American nations into the conversation of equality, human rights, and peaceful action. Whether the show succeeded in unifying, or instead sowed greater divide, depends on who you ask.
~ Maya Corrie `29
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