The NFL caused quite a stir when it announced that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, a three-time Grammy winner known for his global popularity and Spanish-language hits, would headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show in February.
The selection drew sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who called it “absolutely ridiculous.”
Now, however, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is standing firm on the selection, emphasizing the careful selection process followed by the league, and highlighting Bad Bunny’s massive appeal.
“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell told reporters at the annual Fall League Meeting. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”
I mean, you would have a little less controversy if you picked a musician who actually appeals to football fans instead of grasping at whatever will draw in pre-teens for 15 minutes of the broadcast so you can drown them in advertising. We know the game, Rog.
Trump is not happy about Bad Bunny
The president’s criticism was less about music and, not surprisingly, more about the politics of selecting Bad Bunny.
Though he admitted to being unfamiliar with the singer, Trump still railed against the decision and suggested Goodell is more responsible for it than he’s letting on.
“I never heard of him, I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it, it’s like crazy,” Trump said.
The musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, criticized immigration enforcement efforts under the current administration at his concerts.
“There was the issue of — like, (expletive) ICE could be outside my concert,” he said in an interview with Variety. “It was something we were very concerned about.”
Amping up the controversy, DHS Secretary Krisit Noem has vowed to send ICE agents to the Super Bowl.
@nbcnews #NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league is not considering dropping #BadBunny as its #SuperBowl ♬ original sound – nbcnews
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He can be a unifier
Far from being controversial, Roger Goodell went on to suggest that Bad Bunny’s selection for the Super Bowl halftime performance could be a unifying moment. And he’s not about to back away from it just because the President doesn’t like it.
“We’re confident it’s going to be a great show,” Goodell said. “He (Mr. Bunny) understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” the commissioner added. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”
Bad Bunny has been a major player in some WWE storylines over the past few years, even winning the WWE 24/7 Championship. More recently, he was seen starring as Happy Gilmore’s caddy in Happy Gilmore 2.