
<p>On his Saturday morning show, CNN’s Michael Smerconish expressed his hope that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would not bring political controversy and division to the Super Bowl. Smerconish said that the Super Bowl may be the most unifying event we have in America – noting that tens of millions of folks from all backgrounds would be watching For Smerconish, the Super Bowl represented and electronic common ground.</p>



<p>As far as Smerconish went, he was right. People watching were bonded by a love of the American sport – even if they were fans of different teams. In fact, many have pleaded in the past to keep divisive political expressions out of all sports – and other venues not related to politics.</p>



<p>Bad Bunny did not use the halftime program to express hardcore political views – and yet political controversy raged in the show’s aftermath. That is because Smerconish missed the salient point. In selecting a politically controversial personality to headline the halftime show, the NFL guaranteed a political reaction. It was built in. Bad Bunny had already established himself as a controversial political partisan during the Grammy Awards.</p>



<p>The fact that choosing Bad Bunny guaranteed controversy, Turning Point USA responded by producing an “alternative” halftime program with popular entertainer favored by folks on the right. It did not prove to be the alternative they had hoped for. Bad Bunny attracted more than 180 million viewers compared to 12 million for the alternative &#8212; which was a great show with great talent regardless.</p>



<p>Bad Bunny’s performance as an entertainer was judged along political lines. It could not have been otherwise. The MAGA right was harshly critical. President Trump said it was “absolutely terrible.” “One of the worst, EVER!” Booking Bad Bunny was such a bad decision that there are calls for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to resign.</p>



<p>It is not the first time the NFL has been accused of engaging in woke policies and actions. In the past, various players have disrespected the National Anthem by refusing to stand, kneeling or turning their backs –although that did not happen at the 2026 Super Bowl.</p>



<p>Those on the left were effusively generous in their praise of the Bad Bunny halftime show. MS NOW’s resident propagandist, Nicole Wallace, gave the show her best panty-wetting praise. “It was awesome, even if you didn’t understand a word &#8230;” For Wallace, it was the best performance &#8230; ever.</p>



<p>Both Trump and Wallace are wrong. It was not the worst musical program ever – but it was not nearly the best. It was okay. The fair criticism came from those not driven by political purpose. Some fairly criticized the format &#8212; produced for television, not the folks in the stands – and the fact that it was almost exclusively in Spanish. Only Lady Gaga offered some English lyrics. (As an iconic American event, I personally believe that criticism has some justification.)</p>



<p>Smerconish was spot on in calling for the Super Bowl to be left as a moment of unity – leaving the divisive politics behind. But by the time he expressed that hope, it was too late. The NFL had already chosen Bad Bunny – a divisive personality. The post-performance controversy was baked in.</p>



<p>Whether Bad Bunny expressed it or not, his political brand was on the show. Maybe next year the NFL will provide something more unifying.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Bad Bunny Brought Political Divisiveness to the Super Bowl
