The 60th playing of the Super Bowl featured the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, which Seattle won by a score of 29–13.
And then there was the halftime show with Bad Bunny.
“They don’t even have to learn Spanish. Better they learn to dance,” he said. “There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.” Bad Bunny—Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
Originally, to critics of his singing in Spanish, he said that they had four months to learn Spanish, and then he later said the above about dancing.
Music and dancing have been international ways of communication.
Bunny has said, “English was not my first language, but it’s okay—it’s not America’s first language.”
This year was particularly interesting, as the White House, MAGA, Turning Point USA, and others pressured the NFL to cancel Bad Bunny. When that failed, Turning Point executive Erica Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, decided to produce an alternative halftime show and stated more than once that her show would surpass the NFL halftime audience.
Turning Point’s production reached between 4 and 7 million viewers, while the “good bunny” show reached 128.2 million, according to the most recent official figures — though these numbers may not account for the significant increase in people who watched in group settings.
The performance opened with a young man saying, “Qué rico es ser latino.”
Bad Bunny delivered a first‑class show, opening in a sugarcane field. He carries a football printed with the phrase “TOGETHER WE ARE AMERICA.” He moves through a sugarcane field with men and women working, a melon stand, men playing dominoes, a nail salon, and yes, the Villa Tacos stand from Highland, California, with founder Víctor Villa.
He acknowledged not only the workers and their harsh working conditions but also highlighted the ongoing electricity crisis that much of Puerto Rico has suffered in recent years. He gave us a quick and beautiful tour of Puerto Rican life.
And we even witnessed a real wedding taking place.
There was a strong presence of children and older Latinos, underscoring a message of family unity.
In fact, in a heartwarming gesture, Bunny gave his Grammy award to Lincoln Fox, a child actor of Argentinian and Egyptian descent, who was dressed according to a photo of Bad Bunny himself when he was that age.
The dancers were magic and wonderful and made one want to be there and dance with them. The music and words of Bunny were a tsunami of love. At one point he came close to the camera and said, “I had to believe in myself, and you must believe in yourself.”
This super event took place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It included Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga, plus a wonderful women’s violin section of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea.
I had the ultimate pleasure of watching this great football game by two strong teams on a patio in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico, broadcast by Azteca Television with my dear friends. It was good to see so many ads in Spanish, even Shaquille O’Neal promoting hamburgers on Bimbo Bread. His Spanish was not bad but very limited. The Latino economic purchasing power is on the radar of every major corporation.
The instant translation done by Azteca was good and accurate, and it reached Latinos in the Americas and was, I am sure, most appreciated—especially during the awards ceremony.
And it should be noted that six—yes, six—Latinos suited up and played in this most important game.
Of course, as the game progressed, we sat cheering on our teams, eating tacos, carne asada, guacamole, refried beans, and some great chili sauces, toasted onions, and tortillas.
The owner of the New England Patriots and his wife, Dana, who are staunch supporters of Trump, wore sour faces as their team was losing. Plus, they had to be there for three hours and then had to witness Bad Bunny. Trump did not attend because, as many suspected, he would be loudly booed.
Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and America should be proud of this spiritual artist.
On the huge screen at one end of the stadium, it shouted out, “the only thing stronger than hate is love.”
He opened carrying a football and closed carrying this ball, shouting “GOD BLESS AMERICA,” with a parade of dancers with the flags of all the countries of America.
And in the end, he spiked the football, saying, “Seguimos aqui”