By Grumpy Journalist
Apparently, the NFL thinks we all speak fluent “global pop.” Because next February, during the most American event on the calendar — the Super Bowl — a performer named Bad Bunny is headlining the halftime show. And I can hear half the country right now: “Who?”
I’m not saying the guy doesn’t sell out stadiums. He does. Millions of fans scream his name. But millions more couldn’t pick him out of a lineup between Bugs Bunny and the Energizer one. When your stage is football’s crown jewel, maybe consider an act that more than a niche (albeit massive) fan base has actually heard of.
Bad Bunny, I’ve been told, is a Latin trap artist. Which is fine, great, whatever — but don’t act like this isn’t a gamble. Super Bowl halftime shows are supposed to be unifying cultural moments. Instead, we’re about to get a set that leaves Uncle Bob in Omaha squinting at the TV like it’s playing encrypted cable.
The NFL will spin this as progress: diversity, global reach, tapping into younger demographics. Sure. Or maybe it’s just another marketing stunt where sponsors drool over clicks while the actual football audience wonders why they tuned into a music video they didn’t ask for. Meanwhile, the players sit in the locker room wondering how long they’ve got to wait for the circus to end.
And let’s be real: the name doesn’t help. Bad Bunny? That sounds less like a superstar and more like something your toddler got grounded for drawing on the wall. If the league wanted credibility with fans, maybe they should have picked an act that doesn’t require a Wikipedia crash course.
So come February, I’ll be watching like the rest of you. Not because I care about the music, but because I want to see how the NFL tries to spin mass confusion into mass applause. Bad Bunny may bring down the house — or he may leave millions of Americans muttering, “Bring back Springsteen.” Either way, the NFL knows one thing: we’ll all still be watching. And grumbling.
