Is there a greater inkblot check for America proper now than response to Unhealthy Bunny being the halftime act for Tremendous Bowl LX?
Quickly after his title was introduced, social media exploded into meritocracy debates as if the Nationwide Soccer League’s choices are culturally motivated and never commercially. Taylor Swift is probably the most streamed artist in Spotify historical past. Unhealthy Bunny is No. 2. For a home sports activities league attempting to develop its recognition globally, the rationale appears clear.
And but as a result of he’s a Puerto Rican who sings in Spanish, conservative speaking heads should undertaking outrage and supply listeners nonsensical objections.
“It’s so shameful they’ve decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime show,” Corey Lewandowski, a longtime confidant of President Donald Trump who presently advises the Division of Homeland Safety, instructed conservative podcast host Benny Johnson. “We should be trying to be inclusive, not exclusive. There are plenty of great bands and entertainment people who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.”
Weird criticism
Suggesting Unhealthy Bunny hates America is an fascinating take given Puerto Ricans have been U.S. residents since 1917. The three-time Grammy winner additionally has 4 No. 1 albums on the very American Billboard pop charts and has already carried out throughout halftime on the Tremendous Bowl again in 2020 with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
The Federal Communications Fee obtained greater than 1,300 complaints concerning the present that 12 months with the overwhelming majority being from mother and father complaining concerning the stripper pole and twerking of the ladies, not Unhealthy Bunny’s alleged hate of America.
I don’t know if Lewandowski and Johnson knew any of that earlier than they began speaking, however I get the sensation it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
As soon as Lewandowski steered ICE was going to be on the Tremendous Bowl — an occasion that had a mean resale ticket value of $8,600 in 2024 — it was clear their dialog wasn’t about fixing the immigration drawback.
It was clear they didn’t know a lot concerning the historical past of halftime acts both.
In 2006, a Tremendous Bowl held within the coronary heart of Detroit — the birthplace of Motown — rolled out the Rolling Stones, who’re from London. In 2010, a Tremendous Bowl in Miami — dwelling of salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz — gave us the Who … who’re additionally from England. In 2002, months after the 9/11 terrorist assaults, U2 — a band from Dublin, Eire — did the present.
There’s a decades-long precedent for non-People to headline the Tremendous Bowl. Although, once more, fast geography lesson: Puerto Rico is a part of the USA and Puerto Ricans are U.S. residents.
Detractors like Lewandowski and Johnson need to make English being Unhealthy Bunny’s second language an indictment of his patriotism, as if rising up talking English is a criterion for citizenship. It isn’t and by no means has been. Maybe as an alternative of utilizing their platform to stir concern at a time when calm is required, the 2 may see subsequent February’s present as a chance to develop.
Gaslight is on
As a result of actually, it’s so counterproductive to permit influential voices to gaslight the nation into forgetting the milestones it’s already crossed.
“La Bamba” by Los Lobos was sung in Spanish and hit No. 1 practically 40 years in the past. The one English within the Okay-pop hit “Gangnam Style” is “hey, sexy lady,” and that music made PSY a world sensation.
As an alternative of constructing folks concern Spanish on the Tremendous Bowl, perhaps encourage them to spend this NFL season studying one thing past “gracias.” As a result of on this world, there are individuals who select to talk in English and there are individuals who don’t have any different alternative. Solely a kind of eventualities appears like freedom to me.
That was the subject of debate in the summertime of 2008 after then-Sen. Barack Obama stated this at a marketing campaign cease in Georgia: “Understand this, instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English — they’ll learn English — you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual.”
On the time many conservatives — akin to Tucker Carlson and Lou Dobbs — used these feedback not as a immediate to debate the deserves of Obama’s remarks relating to U.S. training however as a weapon to assault him. They accused him of being divisive — when years in the past Nelson Mandela stated once you discuss to somebody “in his own language, that goes to his heart.” In reality, Dobbs stated “instead of diversity, he’s talking about factionalism.” Nonsense that sounds loads just like the echoes we hear from Lewandowski and Johnson as we speak.
It’s not only a query of if our youngsters needs to be bilingual; it’s additionally about being curious concerning the world we reside in. This NFL season has already featured video games in Eire and Brazil. Mexico Metropolis is an annual occasion. The league is in it for the bag. And finally there will probably be a staff based mostly abroad the place Spanish is heard, visiting groups carry passports and Unhealthy Bunny isn’t any stranger.
LZ Granderson is a columnist for the Los Angeles Instances. ©2025 Los Angeles Instances. Distributed by Tribune Content material Company.
Initially Revealed: October 9, 2025 at 3:45 AM PDT
