• The league’s silence amid mounting MAGA backlash reveals what the NFL truly values: global audience expansion over appeasing domestic critics
• Bad Bunny’s recent refusal to stand for “God Bless America” at Yankees game adds fuel to conservative outrage
• NFL’s pattern of provocative halftime choices suggests the league welcomes culture war battles for ratings and relevance

NEW YORK (TDR) — When the National Football League announced that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, conservative America erupted. When photos surfaced showing him seated during “God Bless America” at a Yankees playoff game Tuesday, that eruption turned volcanic. Yet the NFL’s response has been deafening silence, and that tells you everything you need to know about where the league’s loyalties truly lie.

The far-right’s grievances aren’t without merit from their perspective. President Donald Trump called the selection “absolutely ridiculous.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised ICE agents would be “all over” the Super Bowl. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Lee Greenwood would attract a “broader audience.” Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren declared Bad Bunny “has a clear disdain for America” after the Yankees incident.

The NFL Knows Exactly What It’s Doing

Make no mistake: the NFL isn’t ignorant of the backlash. This is the same league that watched Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 performance draw 125 complaints to the FCC about “not enough white people on stage.” The same organization that endured conservative fury over Beyoncé’s allegedly anti-police performance and Shakira and J.Lo’s “kids in cages” imagery.

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The league knows selecting an artist who performs primarily in Spanish, who refused to tour the continental United States over ICE concerns, and who recently sat during “God Bless America” would ignite MAGA fury. They selected him anyway because controversy equals attention, and attention equals ratings.

Follow the Money, Not the Outrage

Here’s what the NFL understands that its conservative critics refuse to accept: Bad Bunny is the third-most streamed artist globally on Spotify with 80 million monthly listeners. His recent 31-show San Juan residency injected nearly $700 million into Puerto Rico’s economy and set Amazon Music viewership records.

The median NFL viewer is now 50 years old. The league desperately needs younger, more diverse audiences as its core demographic ages. Bad Bunny delivers precisely that demographic. He represents the future the NFL is chasing: global, young, Latino, and culturally influential beyond sports.

The Real Controversy the NFL Won’t Address

What the far-right gets wrong is assuming their displeasure matters more than market forces. Turning Point USA is planning a counter-halftime show featuring “faith, family and freedom,” but they’ll struggle to pull viewers away from the actual Super Bowl broadcast.

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Conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck insists “this isn’t about music, it’s about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA.” He’s partially right. It’s about the NFL putting someone on stage who commands a massive audience the league covets, regardless of his politics or language.

The NFL’s refusal to engage with MAGA criticism isn’t disrespect. It’s indifference born of cold calculation. Super Bowl ads cost more than $7 million per 30 seconds. Brands chasing younger, diverse audiences see Bad Bunny as a marketing goldmine, not a controversy.

The league learned from Colin Kaepernick that appeasing conservative criticism doesn’t grow the audience. But courting global superstars who trigger culture wars? That generates buzz money can’t buy.

If the NFL truly cared about unity, would they repeatedly select halftime performers guaranteed to divide America along cultural and linguistic lines?

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