Bad Bunny’s halftime performance reminds us of what is important: unity
"Our View" is prepared by the Editorial Board and should be considered the institutional voice of The Record.
On Feb. 8, Bad Bunny took the world stage at Super Bowl LX, a halftime show that has drawn attention from around the world.
Bad Bunny made history being the first artist to perform a Super Bowl halftime show, which is one of the most watched events across the world, entirely in Spanish.
Prior to him taking the stage, opinions and judgements filled the media, with critics questioning his status as an American, concerns over his music being sung in Spanish and nerves surrounding any political backlash and activism that could take place during his performance.
Despite the critics, Bad Bunny’s performance averaged 128.2 million viewers, making it the fourth-most-watched halftime show, according to ESPN.
A week before his performance, Bad Bunny received six nominations for awards at the 68th Grammy Awards, winning three of them, one of awards being for album of the year, making history as the first artist to win album of the year for an album sung entirely in Spanish.
While he received the award for best musicá urbana album, he spoke out directly about immigration enforcement.
While receiving an award during the 2026 Grammy’s event, Bad Bunny had stated, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out, we’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
In years past, Super Bowl halftime performances have included political symbolism, with Kendrick Lamar’s focus on racial injustice and systematic oppression and Eminem taking a knee — a nod to Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality. After Bad Bunny’s statement at the Grammy’s, people were expecting something big.
But Bad Bunny took a different approach. He didn’t call out ICE or the current administration; he didn’t make any blatant controversial statements. Instead, he extended an olive branch of unity, connectedness and inclusion.
Throughout his performance he touched on multiple historical moments: the power lines reference the frequent and ongoing blackouts Puerto Rico faces (the longest one taking place after Hurricane María) and the opening scene portrayed workers in a real sugar cane field, with Bad Bunny walking through a depiction of a field in Levi’s Stadium (nodding to the economic history of Puerto Rico). There were representations of boxing, a barber shop and people playing dominoes, street vendors selling a variety of things, one being a piragua stand, Puerto Rico’s beloved shaved ice treats.
Bad Bunny gave us the opportunity to see a glimpse into Puerto Rican culture. The references were plentiful, but they were references of love, culture and community. To us, they were an offering of unity and respect for one another.
As his performance neared the end, Bad Bunny spoke his first words in English for the night: “God Bless America.” He proceeded to list nearly every country in the Americas, from Argentina to Canada, ending it by saying, “and my motherland, mi patria, Puerto Rico. Seguimos aqui,” the last sentence translating to “We are still here.” He carried the flag of Puerto Rico while a crowd of people followed him carrying other flags representing countries in the Americas. Bad Bunny then flashed a football with writing on it saying, “Together we are America,” before spiking the football. Above it all, the jumbotron read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” in bold, all capital letters.
Ultimately, Bad Bunny’s performance ended with a reminder to us: love is more powerful than hate, America means more than just the United States, countries throughout the Americas have been and still are present and a part of these beautiful continents.
These messages can remind us here, at CSB+SJU, that together, as two schools and two campuses, we make up something bigger. We aren’t only St. Ben’s or St. John’s. We are a big community; we are better together. Johnnies and Bennies are one and the same; there should be no hierarchy or social scale. There isn’t one without the other.
We are reminded to love our neighbors during dark, challenging times, and to celebrate one another during exciting, joyous times. Working together and supporting each other uplifts us. When we stick together, we are stronger.
Take care of one another and look out for each other. We all could use a little more kindness, compassion, respect and love.
