The only thing more powerful than hate is love

I’m not a Bad Bunny fan. When they announced in September he would be the Super Bowl halftime show, I shared it to my Facebook saying “I’m getting too old. I looked him up on Spotify, and I’ve never heard any of his songs.”

I was assured I’ve probably heard some of them in movies, commercials or otherwise. As he performed Sunday, I did not recognize any of the songs.

I’m a watcher of the Super Bowl halftime show, regardless of the artist. The first one I really remember watching is Bruno Mars at the abysmal 2014 Super Bowl between the Seahawks and Broncos. It ranks No. 2 on my list.

My favorite halftime show was 2017’s Lady Gaga, so naturally I gasped when she came on my screen Sunday. I rank my halftime shows by the entertainment value, my personal recognition and the performance caliber. Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga have amazing live voices and bring me back to middle and high school with their songs.

I also greatly enjoyed Rihanna in 2023. How she performed all of that pregnant, I will never understand. The last three years, I haven’t really known any of the songs. In 2024, there were just too many cooks in the kitchen — Usher, Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris — that’s so many people.

Kendrick Lamar in 2025 and Bad Bunny in 2026 are both global phenomenons. They just aren’t my cup of tea. First because I don’t listen to much music and second because if I do listen to music, it’s the same 12 songs over and over until I can’t stand to hear to them any more.

When I heard there were rumblings of people unhappy about an “un-American” halftime show. This is funny for several reasons, not the least of which being that this is supposed to be the football world championships.

According to Sports Illustrated, more than 62 million people outside the U.S. watched Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. It was aired in more than 195 countries/territories and aired in more than 25 languages.

There’s also the fact that Bad Bunny is a Christian American. Now I don’t think the fact that he is Christian matters, but for some reason, people like to say he isn’t or that his performance isn’t.

Bad Bunny is a proud Puerto Rican man, as he should be. Puerto Rico has been a part of the United States for more than 125 years and its residents have been considered U.S. citizens since 1917.

There are people who didn’t like the halftime show and/or didn’t watch the halftime show because they don’t know or like Bad Bunny or his music. There’s nothing wrong with that.

On the other hand, not watching the halftime show because Bad Bunny is a Latino man or because it’s “un-American” is pretty appalling in 2026.

Turning Point USA showed a halftime show of their own, citing a Christian, family-friendly lineup. Yes, nothing more Christian or family-friendly than Kid Rock whose own lyrics say “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ‘em underage, see. Some say that’s statutory, but I say it’s mandatory.”

That halftime show drew as many as 6 million viewers, about 4% of the total halftime viewership as up to 142 million watched the actual halftime show. Bad Bunny is expected to surpass the previous record viewership from 2025’s 133.5 million.

As I said, I’m a watcher of the halftime show. So here are my thoughts.

I didn’t like not knowing any of the songs. Part of my personal enjoyment is knowing what they are singing and hoping to hear some of my favorites. I think we all enjoy that.

I thought the set design was one of the coolest I’d ever seen. When I think Super Bowl halftime show, I think drama like Lady Gaga jumping from the roof of the stadium while suspended by cables. I think of Rihanna dancing high up on a suspended platform. I don’t think of humble sugar fields and markets.

Nearly 300 million Americans don’t speak Spanish, and the visual choreography and set design helped tell a story to those who don’t speak the language.

Bad Bunny walked from the sugar fields to the market, passing the stand selling frozen coconut, the table of men playing dominos, a pair of boxers and more, all while singing. He stops by a jeweler, picking up a ring box and giving it to a young man who proposes to a woman. Later we see a couple get married (for real) and the story continues.

I also enjoyed special cameos from Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and more. I love a good surprise.

The diversity in dancers was both intentional and celebratory. This is halftime show, and why shouldn’t he have dancers who reflect his culture? It also better fit the story of being in Puerto Rico. I felt like I was there.

At one point, Bad Bunny performs on a utility pole, singing the song “El Apagon” which translates to “The Blackout” or “The Power Outage.” It references power blackouts the country has experienced in recent years, leaving more than a million residents and major hospitals in the dark.

He used this global platform to bring awareness to an issue plaguing a part of this country. A problem that most of us have no knowledge of.

After the show, our fearless leader, Donald Trump said this: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day.”

A lot of randomly capitalized words there, but I won’t get into his grammar. I don’t know how you can watch dancers parade the American flag, the Puerto Rican flag and the flags of all other American countries around the field in triumph and feel anything other than pride.

America may be what we call ourselves, but the Americas are two continents filled with individual nations named by Bad Bunny after he said “God Bless America.” All the while, the Levi Stadium board is filled with a message “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The football he held said “Together we are America.”

The world is a messed up place right now. It’s wearing us down. But there are those of us who will continue to shine the message of love. This halftime show was more than entertainment. It was an opportunity to learn. It was an opportunity to embrace our differences, and I was fortunate to have watched it.