Latino Unity and Football: Bad Bunny Turned the Super Bowl Field Into a Caribbean Oasis
P fkn R! Bad Bunny made history delivering the first-ever all-Spanish-language Super Bowl Halftime show. The Puerto Rican superstar took the field and turned Super Bowl LX into a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Latinidad. Our hearts filled with pride as he performed “NUEVAYoL.” For one night, every Latino was Puerto Rican as he took us on a journey with “Ti Ti Me Pregunto.” The show was also filled with nods to Latino culture and our history of resistance. Let’s take a look at the show that will live forever in history and in our minds.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime show started in the sugarcane fields
The highly-anticipated Super Bowl Halftime show started with Bad Bunny surrounded by people working in the sugarcane fields. Everyone was wearing the iconic pava hat from Puerto Rico. The hat is a piece of Puerto Rican cultural heritage that represents the working-class people.
He then makes his way down a path that is lined with vendors that hold cultural relevance. He passes a table of old men playing dominoes, followed by women at the nail salon. There is a piragua stand, which is synonymous with hot summer days. He gives Los Angeles’ historic Villa’s Tacos love with a stand.
The casita came back for some special guests
There was a lot of speculation about who was going to join Bad Bunny on stage. What we never even thought about was the people who would hang out on the porch of the casita. Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Young Miko, and Karol G were among the guests dancing along as Bad Bunny performed on the roof.
Yeah. Bad Bunny brought together some of the biggest names in entertainment for a kickback. This is something that only the one and only San Benito would be able to do. Ricky Martin was also vibing on the porch along with all of the special guests.
The dancers in front of the casita wore the iconic outfit choice of a white top and khaki bottoms. The combo is a classic look for people in Puerto Rico. It strongly signifies tropical adaptability, elegance, and Caribbean style. Both Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny wore the jíbaro belt, calling more attention, subtly to working people of Puerto Rico.
The singer gave a special nod to Puerto Rico with “El Apagón”
Puerto Rico has a notoriously fragile electrical grid and infrastructure. In 2017, Hurricane Maria plunged the Caribbean island into total darkness for almost an entire year. It was during President Donald Trump’s first presidential term and he treated Puerto Rico like a foreign government not deserving of help from the US.
The treatment of Puerto Rico by President Trump made Puerto Ricans on the mainland and on the island angry. The Puerto Rican people are born in a US territory that gives them automatic American citizenship. The inclusion of electrical workers on the power poles is a nod to the resilience and self-reliance of Puerto Ricans in the face of American indifference.
The show had some nice Easter eggs for Latinos
At one point, during the wedding ceremony, a child is found sleeping across multiple chairs using the football as a pillow. We have all been there when we were children. Latino families don’t understand the concept of bedtimes when the adults are having fun. It doesn’t matter what time it is. If the adults are drinking, dancing, and singing, the party will never end.
Another moment captured in the performance is queer love and joy. At one point, a quick shot shows two men sharing a steamy moment by a pickup truck. The concept of queer love was weaved throughout the show with interactions between dancers.
At the end, he pushed unity like MAGA could never
At a special moment, Bad Bunny interacts with a small family of three meant to represent his younger family. The family is watching TV when Bad Bunny swoops in and gives the young kid a Grammy. He just won the Grammy for Album of the Year, a first for an all-Spanish-language album. It is a sweet moment of Bad Bunny giving love to his younger self in a way that he never could have imagined, as the biggest name in music currently.
At the end of the show, Bad Bunny uses a phrase you hear from every politician: “God Bless, America.” However, he meant it literally and went on to name every country in the Americas, including the US. After all, North, Central, and South America are the Americas.
After giving some extra love to Puerto Rico, he held up a football with a message. The football, which he carried most of the show, read “Together, We Are American.” It is a direct message to an administration that has made it a central tenet of its policy work.
A moment of Latino unity
At a time of immigration raids and dehumanizing rhetoric, it is a refreshing moment to see our culture centered on the largest concert stage. For a few moments, we didn’t feel fear; we didn’t feel worry; we felt pride. In this brief moment, Bad Bunny delivered not just a Super Bowl Halftime show. He delivered a moment of unbridled cultural pride. It doesn’t matter if you are Salvadoran, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Chilean, Mexican, or Uruguayan. Bad Bunny united the larger Latinidad by what matters: pride
Take this moment and revel in the beauty and majesty that is the Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime show. It is exactly the kind of love letter to Latinidad that we need right now.
