Photo Caption: Bad Bunny’s NFL Halftime show draws controversy / Photo Courtesy of: Youtube
By: Camden Conner, BuzzStaff Writer
The NFL’s decision to bring in renowned Latino artist Bad Bunny to headline the league’s Super Bowl halftime show has drawn equal parts praise, admiration, and indifference on the SAU campus. Despite a titanic resume featuring dozens of Grammy nominations and music-streaming related accolades, many have voiced their complaints with the NFL for selecting Bad Bunny, who sings exclusively in Spanish, to headline a show in a country where the major of people’s primary language is English. SAU students interviewed by the Buzz were mostly supportive of the decision.
SAU’s Brandon Staffney-Attical, a senior in psychology, says he is immensely excited and passionate about the league’s decision to put Bad Bunny on such a huge, widely viewed platform. He spoke about the importance of people being open to new things and not allowing preconceived notions and judgements to prevent them from experiencing something they might genuinely enjoy.
“I think it’s phenomenal, I think it’s a great way for us to embrace other cultures, and I love his music, so why not? I don’t understand why it’s controversial. It’s just music at the end of the day, and it’s in a different language which I guess people think since it’s American football, we should have people who speak English, blah blah blah blah blah. That’s just a dumb way of thinking, he makes great music, listen to Spanish, go put on some subtitles, have a great time, it’s going to be fire.”
Brandon also suggested people remember that at the end of the day, the NFL is a business.
“The NFL’s also playing games in Brazil and in Mexico. They’re trying to get a bunch of people from overseas to watch the NFL, so why not have a Spanish artist perform, bring new eyes, try to get a new Spanish audience, cause at the end of the day, the NFL is a business and they’re trying to make money.
“Bad Bunny is going to bring a lot of eyes and he’s going to bring a lot of money. Embrace the difference, like, if the halftime show is fire, maybe we get another one. If it’s not, they’ll just revert back to what they always do and just hire some random artist from America, it’s great.”
Jose Amelio, a freshman in industrial engineering, also says he loves the representation Bad Bunny is bringing to the Latino community on a national stage.
“Yes, I think it’s good. Since he’s American, he’s from Puerto Rico. It’s good to expand Hispanic culture and I think it’s going to be good, showing this culture more to the United States. If I was from America, I would love to have an American singing in the show, because the sport is American football, he is American. So, I think that’s why people don’t think that’s a good option to have that new singer on the stage. I get their point.”
Ben Patterson, a senior in mechanical engineering, doesn’t take a particularly heavy-handed stance in either direction on this topic.
“No, I don’t really have all too much of an opinion on it. I know there’s a handful of people on my team who listen to him, but I don’t, so yeah, not particularly one way or the other on this one”
If nothing else, the decision to have Bad Bunny perform for the Super Bowl halftime show has certainly gotten the NFL a lot of attention. According to the New York Times, the league has already publicly stated that they have no intention of switching out performers due to public backlash.
Factoring in the President Trump’s increasingly aggressive crackdown on immigration, an understandably touchy subject for Bad Bunny and his numerous Latino fans hoping to see him at the big game, it is worth monitoring as the Super Bowl draws closer.
