by: Kaylyn Pageot and Xypher Pino

A message about love, diversity and unity – the halftime show performance by Bad Bunny during Super Bowl LX showcased American culture in the most captivating way possible. In approximately 13 minutes, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio put on an entertaining and educative performance to over 125 million viewers, making this one of the best halftime shows in recent memory.

“You can tell that Bad Bunny carefully planned and thought really hard about his performance,” said junior Ashley Angel. “Instead of being flashy, he crafted the scene to make it meaningful. Overall, he did a phenomenal job, and it is inspiring to see representation of Hispanics and Latinos on a major stage.”

Levi’s Stadium field was transformed into a sugarcane field and a recreation of a Latin American community featuring everyday aspects of Latin American life. Bad Bunny’s performance consisted of some of his biggest hits such as “Eoo,” “Baile Inolvidable,” “Monaco” and many more. He also had a slew of other artists and celebrities who are prominent figures in Latin American culture such as Ricky Martin, Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Emiliano Vargas, Xander Zayas, Karol G and more. With perhaps the most powerful part of the performance, Bad Bunny ended by listing all the countries in the American continent.

On September 28, 2025, the NFL officially announced that Bad Bunny would headline the halftime show for Super Bowl LX. For a world-renowned artist, one would assume that this news would come with great excitement from fans – unfortunately, this was not the case. Though many did celebrate the Bad Bunny selection, a small but loud minority expressed extreme distaste about this decision.

“I think the negativity comes from a combination of reasons that range from people not liking his music to those who simply prefer English-speaking singers, and honestly some who are just outright prejudice,” said senior Nick Menjivar. “I personally was fine with the halftime show. I have never heard a Bad Bunny song before, but I figured this would be the best time to listen to him for the first time.”

The language barrier and inability to understand the lyrics was one of the major complaints for Bad Bunny being the selection, especially since all his songs are in Spanish. A major American event should feature an American artist, critics claimed. Some people, as Menjivar explained, find it better to be able to understand the lyrics being sung.

Though, the unfortunate reality about the negativity surrounding Bad Bunny’s performance is that the hate stems from xenophobia and political disagreements. Critics argue that Bad Bunny’s music and views do not represent traditional American values, that his performance is a political statement creating division instead of serving as mere entertainment. As a result, many hated the performance.

President Donald Trump was one major critic, claiming that the performance was “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, ever” on Truth Social. He expanded, stating that this was “an affront to the Greatness of America” and that “nobody understands a word [Bad Bunny] is saying.”

This is the root cause of the problem – when the face of the country himself is spreading hatred based on xenophobia, it makes sense as to why so many people had the same thoughts.

As Bad Bunny mentioned himself, “Together, we are America.” Accompanied by the billboard message displayed at the end, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Despite the negative backlash, Bad Bunny’s performance promoted the power of love and positivity.

“His performance showcased brief moments of not only Puerto Rican history, but the connections that all people have,” said sophomore Marlowe Koos about really enjoying this message.

In our polarized society today, this is exactly what we need to hear. It is very easy to fight and continue to divide, especially if the ones in power are promoting division. Now more than ever, we must stand together and continue to spread love. The Collegian echoes Bad Bunny’s message of love, and we join the celebration of the different cultures in the Americas. We hope that we see this same positivity in our own GC community.