Bad Bunny to perform Super Bowl LX Halftime Show as the NFL continues international push

Tim Yean

Sports Editor

The NFL continues its aggressive push onto the international stage as Bad Bunny has been chosen to headline the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show in Santa Clara, California at Levi’s Stadium. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio will be the first Latin artist to headline since Shakira co-headlined with Jennifer Lopez back in Super Bowl LIV, in which Ocasio was also a part of.

The decision to perform at halftime marks a reversal in Ocasio’s stance on performing in the United States. The Puerto Rican-born artist previously stated in an interview with i-D Magazine that he would not host any concerts on mainland soil out of fear that “ICE could be outside” his concerts. Dr. R. Anthony Galvez, an associate professor at Rhode Island College’s Department of Communication likes the NFL’s choice and hopes that Ocasio uses the spotlight to highlight his issues with the United States today.

“He’s a positive role model within the Latino community, and the political timing of it is right,” Galvez highlighted. “I would hope that he would use it as a place to air his political grievances with the current administration…Whether or not he does, I just don’t know.”

For the NFL, it’s a big step in their effort to extend the sport of American football to a global audience. Plans and ideas to introduce the game worldwide have existed for the league since the late 1980s, a primary example being NFL Europe, a developmental league that ceased operations in 2007 as the NFL wanted to focus more on scheduling international regular-season games rather than continue the costly effort of running a separate league. In a recent move, the NFL expanded its Global Markets Program this year to include all 32 teams to promote the league to 21 different countries across all seven continents.

Last year’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs shattered viewership records across the board, the halftime show with Kendrick Lamar and SZA exceeding the game itself viewership-wise. Galvez says that if big-market teams are in the Super Bowl, no other major event overshadows the game and Bad Bunny proves to bring in big numbers, they would definitely have to consider bringing in more international artists for future performances.

“It’s like everything else. When they experience a success, they’re gonna want to replicate it,” Galvez told me. “It all depends. So I would say, hopefully going forward, they would continue to experiment with these international artists.”

The three other major American sports rivaling the NFL are also strengthening their worldwide markets this decade. The NHL’s “4 Nations Face-Off” in February 2025 renewed viewership with North American audiences while connecting with Northern European audiences in the process with a Finnish and Swedish team in the mix as well. International superstars have transformed the NBA talent-wise, with teams looking outside the United States for the next big superstar. The MLB has its set of international superstars as talent pools in Spanish-speaking countries and East Asia continue to be noticed.

https://iir.gmu.edu/sports-and-civic-engagement/in_sports

Of course, all leagues are trying their best to overcome the established behemoth that is the OG football.

“It’s been a long push to try to really globalize the NFL,” said Galvez. “Even though (American) football is becoming a little more popular globally, it still has to compete with soccer, which it’s going to have a tough time doing.”

The twelfth most-listened to artist on Spotify monthly will have four months to practice to prove he’s the right selection for America’s biggest and grandest game. For Galvez, it’s going to take a lot from Bad Bunny to exceed his favorite halftime shows, U2 and Prince.

“Nobody’s ever going to surpass Prince.”