Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
This Sunday the 8th saw the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots going head to head in Superbowl LX, but the teams weren’t what drew mass attention to the game this year, it was the halftime show that brought attention. Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny was this year’s performer which drew backlash from Turning Point USA and those who share similar views. Turning Point USA decided to host their own halftime show which may not have had the viewership they hoped to see.
According to NPR, some conservative lawmakers criticized the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny and refused to watch the halftime show, and they incorrectly labeled Bad Bunny a “foreigner.” Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico which is a U.S territory meaning that Bad Bunny is not a foreigner but rather a U.S. citizen. The refusal to watch the show stems from the fact that Bad Bunny performs and sings exclusively in Spanish which is his first language. Trump even tweeted about the halftime show writing, “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! … Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
Turning Point USA then announced their own halftime show that they labeled “All-American.” Their headliner was Kid Rock which drew controversy to their halftime show. Kid Rock has a song called “Cool Daddy Cool,” lyrics of which generated backlash across the internet.The lyrics involve romantic interest in underaged girls even using the word statutory to convey just how young those girls are. Kid Rock did not perform that song, but its resurfacing brought enough backlash. Time Magazine confirms that Kid Rock performed another one of his songs “Bawitdaba” which has suggestive lyrics.
After both halftime shows, Conservative Representative Andy Ogles called for Bad Bunny’s halftime show to be investigated because some of the choreography was suggestive, and the lyrics of one of the songs in the setlist “Safera” had parts with suggestive lyrics. Bad Bunny did not sing the suggestive parts during his halftime show. There have been calls for Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman, to get involved in the investigation.
Bad Bunny also managed to draw the ire of Conservatives by promoting a message of pride in both his home of Puerto Rico and America. He had a second message and that was one of unity during these times which also drew backlash from Conservatives. According to BBC, Bad Bunny spoke only one line in English in the entire 13 minute show to say “God bless America.” He then went on to list nations of South, Central, and North America with dancers carrying their flags. He ended the show with a football that read “Together, we are America.”
Bad Bunny is currently on tour in South and Central America. He has stated before that he won’t bring the tour to the mainland in an effort to protect his fans.
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