Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl halftime show may not be for everyone

Bad Bunny (Benito Martínez) is scheduled to headline the Super Bowl 60 halftime show in Santa Clara, Calif., and the choice has drawn both support and public criticism from commentators and some former athletes.

Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican artist Benito Martínez, is set to perform the Super Bowl 60 halftime show in Santa Clara, Calif. The article places that booking in cultural context, noting his Grammy-winning album Debí Tomar Más Fotos and references in the music to Puerto Rican sports figures. It also describes public pushback from several commentators and public figures and notes an alternate, streamed counterprogramming event organized by Talking Points U.S.A. The piece discusses how language, nationality and politics have shaped reactions to the performance. Key details: - Bad Bunny performs in Spanish and is described as a sports fan whose album references Puerto Rican boxers Tito Trinidad and Miguel Cotto. - The artist has been Spotify's most-streamed performer four of the last six years and the first 12 shows of his current world tour reportedly averaged $14.2 million US in ticket sales. - Opposition to the halftime booking has come from figures including Eric Dickerson, unnamed current NFL players writing in The Athletic, and Speaker Mike Johnson, and a former athlete posted a profanity-laced criticism online. - Talking Points U.S.A. organized an alternate halftime stream headlined by Kid Rock. - At the Grammys, Bad Bunny accepted Best Musica Urbana Album and said, in part, "Before I say 'Thanks to God,' I'm gonna say 'ICE out,'" a remark framed in the article as addressing immigration enforcement and civil liberties. Summary: The Super Bowl halftime booking has prompted a public conversation about who is viewed as sufficiently American, and the debate touches on language, identity and political reactions. The performance is scheduled for Sunday at Super Bowl 60 and public reactions are varied as the event approaches.