The National Football League Remains Resolute on Puerto Rican Superstar Super Bowl Performance Amid Political Backlash
America's top football league will not remove Bad Bunny as the star attraction for the Super Bowl halftime show, League chief Roger Goodell announced on Wednesday.
In doing so, Goodell stood by the decision to feature the Puerto Rican artist on the league’s biggest stage, a move that drew criticism from the former president and his political base.
Goodell commented on the controversy during his media briefing following the annual fall owners meeting. This marks the initial instance he has publicly remarked on the selection, which has garnered worldwide attention, including a rise in streams of Bad Bunny’s music alongside opposition.
“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an performer where we didn’t have some blowback or disapproval. It’s challenging to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been a vocal opponent of the former leader. He recently decided to hold a month-long concert series in his homeland, avoiding performances in the mainland US, citing concerns about the mass deportation of Latinos.
The 31-year-old, who performs in Spanish, is anticipated to do so at the big game.
“We’re confident it will deliver a spectacular performance,” the NFL commissioner said. “He understands the platform that he has, and I think it will prove thrilling and a unifying moment.”
The San Francisco 49ers are staging the Super Bowl on February 8 at the Santa Clara venue in the Bay Area. It is unclear if the former president plans to attend, though he has made appearing in person at major sporting events a significant part of his current presidency.
The political figure in an interview on conservative news network the outlet claimed he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny.
“I don’t know his identity,” he stated. “I don’t know the reasoning behind it. It seems absurd. And then, they blame it on some promoter they hired to select talent. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Goodell supported the choice this week, explaining it was determined because of Bad Bunny’s immense popularity.
“He ranks among the top and best-loved entertainers globally,” he said. “This is exactly what we aim to achieve. It represents a crucial platform for us. It’s an important component to the entertainment value.”