The real reason conservatives are furious about Bad Bunny's forthcoming Super Bowl performance

[marmar]

The real reason conservatives are furious about Bad Bunny’s forthcoming Super Bowl performance
Published: October 16, 2025 8:41am EDT

Ediberto Román
Professor of Law, Florida International University
Ernesto Sagás
Professor of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University


(The Conversation) Soon after the NFL’s announcement that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl halftime show, conservative media outlets and Trump administration officials went on the attack.

....(snip)....

To be sure, Bad Bunny checks many boxes that irk conservatives. He endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024. There’s his gender-bending wardrobe. He has slammed the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies. He has declined to tour on the U.S. mainland, fearing that some of his fans could be targeted and deported by ICE. And his explicit lyrics – most of which are in Spanish – would make even the most ardent free speech warrior cringe.

And yet, as experts on issues of national identity and U.S. immigration policies, we think Lahren’s and Johnson’s insults get at the heart of why the rapper has created such a firestorm on the right. The spectacle of a Spanish-speaking rapper performing during the most-watched sporting event on American TV is a direct rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to paper over the country’s diversity.

....(snip)....

The xenophobic fervor against Bad Bunny has led political leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson to call for a more suitable figure for the Super Bowl, such as country music artist Lee Greenwood. Referring to Bad Bunny, Johnson said “it sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience.”

But the facts counter that claim. The Puerto Rican artist sits atop the global music charts. He has over 80 million monthly Spotify listeners. And he has sold nearly five times more albums than Greenwood. .................(more)

https://theconversation.com/the-real-reason-conservatives-are-furious-about-bad-bunnys-forthcoming-super-bowl-performance-267078

[Kid Berwyn]

1. Truth. Excellent article!

Another excerpt…

The Puerto Rican colony

Bad Bunny was born in 1994 in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory that the country acquired after the 1898 Spanish-American War.

It is home to 3.2 million U.S. citizens by birth. If it were a state, it would be the 30th largest by population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

But Puerto Rico is not a state; it is a colony from a bygone era of U.S. overseas imperial expansion. Puerto Ricans do not have voting representatives in Congress, and they do not get to help elect the president of the United States. They are also divided over the island’s future. Large pluralities seek either U.S. statehood or an enhanced form of the current commonwealth status, while a smaller minority vie for independence.

But one thing is clear to all Puerto Ricans: They’re from a nonsovereign land, with a clearly defined Latin American culture – one of the oldest in the Americas. Puerto Rico may belong to the U.S. – and many Puerto Ricans embrace that special relationship – but the island itself does not sound or feel like the U.S.

The over 5.8 million Puerto Ricans that reside in the 50 states further complicate that picture. While legally they are U.S. citizens, mainstream Americans often don’t see Puerto Ricans that way. In fact, a 2017 poll found that only 54% of Americans knew that Puerto Ricans were U.S. citizens.

[EYESORE 9001]

2. I heard the name of George Strait bandied about

How many records has George Strait sold in this millennium? Someone with broader appeal

[VMA131Marine]

3. What are the odds...?

Trump has, or will, offer to sell Puerto Rico back to Spain?

You just know that it’s driving him insane that there’s a majority Spanish speaking territory within the USA. As for me, I’m learning Spanish.

[VMA131Marine]

4. I mean, maybe Rush would do it ...

They’re back on tour next year.

Oh Canada, eh!

[eShirl]

5. As if Mike Johnson has any idea what is appealing to most people.

[Ray Bruns]

10. No shit. Lee Greenwood? Give me a break.

[usonian]

6. I look forward to an alternate performance by white South African band

"Repressed Afrikaners"

NOT

But Elon and Peter would love it and probably fund it.

[Mblaze]

7. I can just see the troupe of dancers

Gyrating behind 82 year old Lee Greenwood.

[Orrex]

8. Lee Greenwood

[oasis]

9. Bestest halftime ever. I'll be looking forward to it.

[Joinfortmill]

11. Hope he stays safe. Could get dicey.

[BurnDoubt]

12. "Just a shot away....."

The MAGA Massa has loaded and cocked... just waiting for a loose wing-nut to hear the dog-whistle. Mi