In December 2024, near the end of the 2024 NFL regular season, NPR published a piece by Alan Chazaro with the title: 

“Latinos are the fastest-growing fanbase in the NFL. What's the league's playbook?”

 

The article is an excellent report on the NFL’s gradual internationalisation of their sport, and how Latinos have become more and more involved, both on the field and in audience representation – and it’s worth reading here to get a more accurate picture of just “who” the NFL is “for”. Just in case you have an uncle or a colleague at work who’s holding onto an image of American football from the 1960s. Because it’s not just a certain type of American who’s watching the NFL now. Per Alan Chazaro’s report: 

“In terms of [the NFL’s] overall viewership growth, Latinos lead the way. League sources confirmed Latino viewers (both English- and Spanish-speaking) have spiked by 11%. Spanish broadcasts alone have jumped 34% compared to previous years. Those numbers are good enough to outpace any other demographic of measurable fan growth.”

 

This didn’t happen over night. Alan Chazaro’s article details a strategy that’s been in place for years, culminating in the announcement that came yesterday: Bad Bunny will headline Super Bowl LX next February. 

 

The NFL reposted Benito’s Instagram reel confirming the news and also Apple Music’s official poster. Apple, of course, is the halftime sponsor. And I mention this because Apple’s wording with the announcement specifically mentions Puerto Rico; we all know Bad Bunny is Puerto Rico’s proudest son and her fiercest protector. Including Puerto Rico at the very beginning of Bad Bunny’s march to the Super Bowl field sets the stage for Benito’s intentions. 

 

In a statement released with the announcement, Benito elaborated: 

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … this is for my people, my culture and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

Go tell your grandma, we’re going to be the SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW. 

As you may have heard, during an interview with I-D Magazine earlier this month, Benito said that the reason there were no US stops on his upcoming Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour was because he did not want to potentially put his fans at risk: 

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times,” he said. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US…People from the US could come here to see the show,” he continued. “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of—like, fcking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

 

Turns out, he’s made an exception, the most f-ck you of exceptions: 

Hit the translate button on that post and even with the AI you can hear the cheekiness in his tone. For years, Bad Bunny has been one of the most streamed artists on the planet. This past summer he brought hundreds of thousands of people to him, in Puerto Rico, for his residency. Where he is, they will go. And they will watch. The numbers for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl are about to be staggering. And, also, symbolic. Yet another example of how diversity and inclusion isn’t just good for culture, it’s good for business! The NFL already knows this. They’ve seen evidence of it. They are more aware than anyone of where their sport is growing and who they are reaching. So the decision to spotlight Bad Bunny on their biggest night should not have been a difficult one. He’s actually doing them a favour. 

For those wondering, then, whether or not his set will be political and some kind of statement because it’s happening at a time when so many of the people who speak his language, who listen to his music in their shared language, are unsafe…

 

Sure. His very existence is political…but only because THEY made it political. Bad Bunny creates and performs out of pride. The clowns who’ve perceived his pride – and its massive following – as a threat are the ones who’ve greatly underestimated this power and overestimated their own. As usual, they’re making it about them. But Bad Bunny isn’t going to the Super Bowl for anyone other than those he represents and he’s about to throw down a CELEBRATION. 

One final note and it’s a full-circle moment. Alan Chazaro, whose NPR piece I linked to at the start of this post, is from the Bay Area, the site of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl. The day after that NPR piece was published, he was featured in a series called “My American Dream is in Mexico”  (highly recommend) which “spotlights the growing trend of Mexican-Americans reclaiming their heritage by choosing to live in Mexico”. If it hasn’t happened already in the 18 hours or so since the announcement was made, I hope there’s an outlet who sends Alan to the Super Bowl in February to write about the experience. 

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Photo credits: Image Press Agency/ MEGA/ WENN

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