When Bad Bunny was announced as the official halftime show by the NFL, the news was met with both praise and criticism. Supporters noted his immense popularity across Latin America and the United States, while his detractors took various issues with the artist. This led TPUSA to assemble a counter halftime show that would “proudly celebrat[e] American culture, freedom, and faith.” Naturally, this alternative performance met with its own share of criticism in return. It seems that every aspect of American life is now riddled with controversy and is overshadowed by politics, including football halftime shows. Is everyone on both sides just overreacting or is there some legitimacy to the controversy?
Watch the Official Super Bowl halftime show here.
Watch the TPUSA halftime show:
A Welcome Alternative or Intentional Division?
If you go to your local supermarket, you’ll likely find dozens of brands of cereal to select. Consumer choice is a blessing in prosperous nations. Why is it so controversial to have two Super Bowl halftime shows? People have different tastes in music, so if some people aren’t interested in Bad Bunny’s performance, they have another musical option instead of leaving the room or turning off the television. The issue wasn’t just about music, however. The problem yet again is partisan politics. For years, the NFL has been criticized for inserting social and political messaging into football. Bad Bunny is a known critic of President Trump and ICE, and his music is primarily in Spanish. Consequently, many conservatives took his selection as a halftime performer to be yet another political statement. Thus, TPUSA assembled an alternative conservative show in response to the NFL’s.
What do we make of this? On one hand, it can be seen as a victory for religious and political conservatives who have long bemoaned the increasing degeneracy featured in movies and music. The fact that millions of people tuned out of the largest annual broadcast in America to watch an alternate performance is a major milestone that can be seen as a true turning point (pun intended) in our culture. However, this battle of the halftime shows once more highlights just how divided we are as a culture. To many people, which halftime show you watched was not a matter of musical taste but tribal warfare. It was waving your political or cultural flag. We might wonder: which was more of a performance, the halftime shows or the online reactions to them? Super Bowl Sunday has long been an American cultural institution, a day where people of all views and backgrounds could put aside differences and just enjoy a football game. But is this possible anymore?
Music Matters
Politics aside, what ultimately matters is the content of the musical performances. Were political and religious conservatives right to condemn Bad Bunny? What about the other side’s criticisms of TPUSA’s headliner, Kid Rock? Like most of his music, Bad Bunny’s entire performance was in Spanish, with most viewers not knowing what he was singing. Yet, a simple internet search will easily reveal his song lyrics. Much of his music is profane and vulgar, featuring explicit sexual content. While his Super Bowl performance was a modified, censored version of his songs, it still contained profanity and sexual references, with dancers on stage simulating sexual acts. None of this is unique to Bad Bunny, however, as we have grown accustomed to such lyrics and dancing from music artists in public performances. This is why many people were glad that there would be a “conservative alternative” performance that was geared towards them. However, the headliner of the TPUSA show was Kid Rock, whose music is also full of profanity and explicit sexual content. This may seem hypocritical, especially since he performed his hit song “Bawitdaba,” which contains lyrics that definitely do not fit within a wholesome, family-friendly show. Kid Rock later returned to the stage under his real name, Robert Richie, to perform a mellower song. He added lines at the end that reference the Bible and Jesus Christ, which is certainly an admirable thing. Richie’s performance has been interpreted as an artistic representation of his transformation from a rock-and-roll lifestyle to a follower of Christ. Still, people have criticized Richie and TPUSA for including “Bawitdaba” in a show specifically aimed at a conservative audience. If Christians are going to criticize the culture for promoting ungodly content, we must make sure that we are above reproach in the content we create.
Conclusion
The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show controversy is just another reminder of how divided we have become as a society and how we have politicized almost everything. It’s nearly impossible to tell whether people are raising genuine criticisms about cultural events or if they are merely offering performative outrage to the latest thing. Some people have criticized TPUSA for fueling the divide by holding their own halftime show. Others might say that such division already occurred by the NFL choosing Bad Bunny as the official performer, with TPUSA simply offering an alternative. Politics aside, it is true that many of Bad Bunny’s lyrics are vulgar, sexually explicit, and should be concerning to committed Christians. While the same is true of Robert Richie’s past music as Kid Rock, we hope he repents of previous lyrics and comments and is truly committed to following Christ. In spite of its shortcomings, TPUSA’s performance shows us that people are seeking wholesome alternatives to what our culture currently has to offer. This is evident as more and more influencers, celebrities, and artists are beginning to explore Christianity. We should celebrate the fact that Christianity is making a comeback in America, taking full advantage of this cultural moment. Instead of simply lamenting the current state of art and media, we must create our own content that is good, true, and beautiful. Let us no longer fall victim to outrage and division but lean into the nation’s current openness to the gospel.