A vocal subset of Americans are upset with the selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime show performer. Though baseball may technically be the national pastime, the Super Bowl is our, well, Super Bowl — and the Spanish-language rapper doesn’t fit within such an American institution, these detractors argue. This is, of course, conveniently ignoring the fact that Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is from Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States. (Puerto Rico is unincorporated and self-governing.)
What these people are pissed about is the primary language of Ocasio’s vocals — at least I hope that’s what they are going with. Because just three years ago, Rihanna, who is from Barbados and not a U.S. citizen — whereas Bad Bunny is — performed the Super Bowl halftime show. Three years before that, the Colombian-born Shakira, also not a U.S. citizen, was one-half of the 2020 halftime show headline acts (with Jennifer Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent but born in the Bronx). You’ll never guess who the top-billed guest was that year? His name rhymes with Mad Funny, which is what all of this is.
While I hate to paint with such a broad brush (a roller, really) the folks red in the face over this are the ones red in the hats — and I don’t mean the New England Patriots throwback colors. Following their leader, the MAGA crowd immediately expressed disdain with the Bad Bunny booking. They’re still seething over it: as recently as Saturday, President Donald Trump blasted the halftime show plans as well as the pre-show act, Green Day.
“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump, who definitely doesn’t sow hatred, said.
The bilingual Bad Bunny (he hosted SNL in English) has been critical of Trump’s immigration policies, the ones presently coming to a deadly head in the home of the NFL’s Vikings. (The same Vikings who, after making the playoffs in 2024, handed over their Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks via free agency, which stamped the NFC champion’s pass to Sunday’s Super Bowl.)
Green Day hates Trump so much, the band changed the lyrics of its hit song “American Idiot” from “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.” The edit was not well received by members of said agenda(s) — one could argue the lyrics change is pure semantics. (“American Idiot” was originally written as a response to George W. Bush’s presidency, the Iraq War and the general post-9/11 atmosphere.)
And Trump’s fans are about to get more upset. The rumor mill has it that Bad Bunny, in a nod of support to the LGBTQ community and as just another norms-pushing statement, plans to don a dress during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. TMZ initially reported the “rumor,” with a follow-up report saying they couldn’t confirm what he’s wearing, citing “production sources.”
At my behest, internet sports book BetOnline.ag created a betting line for “Will Bad Bunny wear a dress during Super Bowl halftime show?” The website has it at -150 (bet $150 to profit $100) he will, and +110 (wager $100 to profit $110). Here’s the rub, though: as the prop bet is “for entertainment purposes only,” the max wager is $25.
Not enough action for you? You can also bet on the type of dress Bad Bunny will wear, should he defy TMZ. The most probable type of dress is a ball gown (7/4, +175), with a halter dress (3/1) and a shirt dress (4/1) rounding out the favorites. A bodycan and a qipao are both available at 5/1. Long shots are a maxi-dress (6/1) and an A-line (7/1).
Regardless of which department store section Bad Bunny’s halftime outfit(s) hail from, you can bet on the “predominant color” of his “entrance top.” Black is the fave at 7/4, with white a close 9/4. Blue (4/1), Green (5/1), Brown (8/1), Grey/Silver (8/1) and Yellow (8/1) are middle-of-the-road odds, with your choice of Gold, Pink or Red each at 12/1.
Clothing aside, the haters — whom as I understand are gonna hate — will become especially riled up when Bad Bunny opens his mouth and the Spanish starts rolling out. But there is one English-language acronym that will infuriate MAGA beyond any español. Once again, you can hedge your outrage with a bet.
Will Bad Bunny say “ICE” during the halftime show?
Yes +200 (2/1)
No -300 (1/3)
¿Todo listo?
Los Seahawks de Seattle se enfrentan a los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra este domingo en el estadio Levi’s en Santa Clara, California. El partido comienza a las 6:30 p.m. y se transmitirá por NBC, Peacock y también por Telemundo.
Read the full article here
