The National Football League Remains Resolute on Puerto Rican Superstar Super Bowl Performance Despite Political Backlash
America's top football league has no plans to drop the global music icon as the headline performer for the prestigious mid-game entertainment, League chief Roger Goodell stated this week.
In doing so, Goodell stood by the decision to feature the internationally acclaimed singer on the most-watched platform, a move that drew negative reactions from the former president and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the controversy during his media briefing following the league's autumn gathering. This marks the first time he has spoken out on the selection, which has attracted global interest, including a surge in streams of Bad Bunny’s music alongside opposition.
“It’s carefully thought through,” the commissioner said. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we avoided some blowback or disapproval. It’s pretty hard to do when you have truly countless viewers of people that are watching.”
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been a outspoken critic of Trump. He recently decided to do a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, skipping stops in the mainland US, citing concerns about the expulsion of Latinos.
The artist, who sings in Spanish, is expected to continue this at the big game.
“We’re confident it will deliver a spectacular performance,” the NFL commissioner said. “He understands the platform that he has, and in my view it’s going to be exciting and a united experience.”
The San Francisco 49ers are staging the championship game on February 8 at the Santa Clara venue in the Bay Area. There is uncertainty if Trump plans to attend, although he has turned appearing in person at high-profile games a key aspect of his second term.
The political figure during a discussion on conservative news network the outlet said he had “no knowledge of” Bad Bunny.
“I don’t know who he is,” he said. “I can’t comprehend the reasoning behind it. It seems absurd. And then, they blame it on some promoter they hired to select entertainment. I think it’s completely unreasonable.”
The commissioner supported the choice on Wednesday, explaining it was determined because of the artist’s massive fanbase.
“He’s one of the leading and best-loved entertainers globally,” Goodell said. “This is exactly what we aim to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”
