As I sat and watched Bad Bunny’s Superbowl performance on Sunday night, after absolutely glazing over the rest of the match which I admittedly could not care for, there were two thoughts that sat in my brain. First, I was amazed by the spectacle of it all: the music, the imagery, the emotion, the story, etc. And second, I was in suspense. A Puerto Rican man was singing Spanish music at the Superbowl, one of the most quintessentially white American events in existence. In this political context, where Latinos are being terrorized and kidnapped by the government, I imagined that there was no way for him not to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Just in the same way that he called for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement out of communities at the Grammys, I expected to see a grand political message that would tie everything together.
Eventually, it did come, in the form of the quote blasted across the stadium’s Jumbotron: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” It aptly summarized the feeling of the 13-minute show. Instead of leaning into the culturewar divisiveness that was hovering around it, he chose a unifying message. He celebrated Latino culture from Chile to Puerto Rico and made the bold suggestion that “God bless America” applies to all of them too and that we could unite under that. The world seemed to take notice, as this performance became a flashpoint for all things counterculturere and all those rallying against the current administration. It became a symbol of resistance.
If self-contained, this message of love and unity would be valid. The problem is that it wasn’t. The show was wrapped on all sides with advertising from some of the largest corporations in America, about half of which felt like AI slop or sports gambling. It was also platformed by the NFL, which is not exactly a progressive institution. After all, this is the same body which still has Colin Kaepernick on a blacklist for refusing to stand for the flag in 2016. It’s the same body led by league commissioner Roger Goodell, who has long chosen policies of quiet appeasement to the demands of President Donald Trump. It’s also the league where owners of the various teams collectively sent over 19 million dollars to conservative election efforts from 2020 to 2024. For a more specific example of this, just look at the owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, who helped fund Trump’s inauguration and has spent over 100 million dollars supporting Zionist political organizations in past years. All of this is not even to mention the institutional partnerships the NFL directly has with DHS and the military.
This context changes the message that was put out during that halftime show. Ultimately, it is important to remember that Benito was chosen to perform at the Superbowl. His message, his performance and his impact were prescribed and scripted in boardrooms and corporate high rises long before they ever made it to our screens. Every detail was implicitly given the stamp of approval by all the actors named above, as their logos were set to be screened before, during and after his time on screen. This is not to say that each of them necessarily agrees with his message, but that they did not find it so odious as to oppose it. It is acceptable to Goodell, to Kraft, to OpenAI, to Apple, to Meta and all the rest, so long as you sit down, shut up and keep your eyes on the screen.
When we further consider that it is these institutional actors that are materially supporting the extreme violence against Latino communities across the country, a contradiction is created. In this contradiction, Bad Bunny’s message is neutered. A message of resistance against ICE and unity among peoples becomes an idealistic dream; it is detached from reality. The popular “dissent” he platforms is coopted, managed and given a release valve before it gets to be too angry. The incredible spectacle of his message satisfies people, and satisfied people do not revolt. Spectacle creates complacence, obedience and compliance.
True impact requires recognition and repair: The naming and shaming of systems that cause these issues, as well as focused direction of energy into efforts that attempt to address them. Spectacle is the opposite of impact. When Bad Bunny focuses on the importance of “love” over “hate,” these systems are obscured behind emotional language. Hate does not exist in a vacuum, and the type of hateful white supremacy that pushes forward ICE and the federal government is not simple irrationality. These things have structural causes and are based in the material interests of those in power. To say that “love” is the answer erases the possibility for both recognition and repair.
All of this is not necessarily to crucify Benito, but rather to point at how structures of media, consumption and dissent operate. I think some of the discourse he generated with the performance has been beneficial, like the use of electrical poles to bring awareness to the long blackouts the island faces. I also believe he has done truly good work in the past: When he decided to skip the U.S. in his most recent tour because it was “unnecessary,” that was hilariously disrespectful as well as a genuine example of protest that puts your money where your mouth is. However, in this current situation, any progressive impact intended is inherently limited by the foundation of corporate money that it is built upon.
We must look past these spectacles designed for us, that are inherently disconnected from the material reality they attempt to replicate. We must recognize that the revolution will not be televised in between multi-million dollarcommercial spots. No matter how visually stunning, heartfelt and emotionally cathartic, the revolution will not be sponsored by the NFL.