DENVER — There has been heavy criticism after the NFL chose Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but the league sees a big opportunity with his fans.
Bad Bunny won album of the year Sunday at the Grammy Awards, a first for a Spanish-language album.
Spotify named him 2025’s Global Top Artist.
The artist has also been critical of President Donald Trump and spoke out against ICE at the Grammys.
Despite being an American born in Puerto Rico, a United States territory, some feel he is just too international for the big game.
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Bad Bunny says he will bring his culture to 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance
Jared Bahir Browsh, CU’s Director of Critical Sports Studies, told Denver7 this week the NFL isn’t bothered by the controversy.
“They're more concerned with expanding their $23 billion a year revenue base,” Brosh said. “Their (NFL) two largest international markets are Mexico and Brazil.”
Browsh said Latinos are the largest growing NFL fanbase. The league has been holding games in Spain and has plans to return to Mexico next year.
This also comes as the NFL, under Roger Goodell, has been working to expand the Super Bowl from a sporting event into a global entertainment event.
“It's a larger effort to bring in young fans, to bring in casual fans, and to bring in global fans, and they understand that it's not necessarily about the X's and O's, it's about keeping the eyeballs on the TV,” Browsh said.
Turning Point USA is hosting an alternative halftime show online headlined by Kid Rock.
Fun fact: This is not Bad Bunny’s first Super Bowl Performance. He joined the stage when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined the halftime show in 2020.
