NFL players have revealed how they really feel about Bad Bunny performing in this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, with the rapper proving just as divisive in the league as he is throughout the rest of the United States.
The Puerto Rican artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will take to the stage at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday as the performer for the end-of-season finale in San Francisco – despite fierce opposition.
The announcement in late September was met with backlash from MAGA-leaning NFL fans and conservative commentators, with Donald Trump leading the outrage over the rapper’s criticism of the administration’s immigration policies.
However, the league’s stars themselves had remained quiet and coy on the controversy – until now.
In an anonymous poll, NFL players have revealed their opinion on Bunny, who won three awards at the Grammys on Sunday night, being selected as this season’s performer.
Yet, while the MAGA world is up in arms over the selection, the NFL appears to be fairly neutral on Bad Bunny, who will be the first Spanish-language artist to perform on the Super Bowl halftime stage.
NFL players have revealed how they really feel about Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl
The rapper will perform the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday despite fierce opposition
The league was fairly split, with The Athletic’s poll revealing that a narrow majority – 58.6 percent – of players liked the decision.
However, 41.4 percent were unhappy with the league’s choice, citing a lack of familiarity with Bunny’s music or a preference for other artists.
One NFC offensive player, who was kept anonymous, reportedly told the outlet that he didn’t ‘even know’ who the rapper was that the per, adding that the performer should always be American.
Bunny is from Puerto Rico, which is a US territory, making the rapper an American citizen.
The Super Bowl halftime show has also previously featured foreign artists on multiple occasions, with the likes of British band Coldplay, Colombian star Shakira, Canadian star The Weeknd, Barbadian hitmaker Rihanna, and Irish band U2 headlining, among many others.
Another player said: ‘I do not like it. [I’d prefer] anyone who’s synonymous with football and football culture. I feel like there’s tons of artists out there who are fans of the game.’
However, others were not so critical, with one player admitting that while he did not understand Spanish and was not personally a fan of Bad Bunny, he felt the choice reflected the American spirit.
‘I’ve heard his music obviously, but I don’t speak Spanish, so I’m not a big fan,’ said the NFC defensive player. ‘But I do think it’s cool to have him, because America is based on diversity. America was built on immigration. So I feel like having him just furthers that American dream. I like it. I like the choice.’
Bunny won three awards on Sunday night, including the prestigious Album of the Year
Bunny said in his victory speech: ‘Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE Out.’
Another, who also claimed to have never listened to Bad Bunny’s music, noted that the Puerto Rican was the most-streamed artist on Spotify, insisting that he would help boost the NFL’s ratings.
New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs also revealed his feelings on Bad Bunny as he prepared to suit up for the Super Bowl this week.
Diggs, who is dating rapper Cardi B, insisted that Bad Bunny is a ‘great choice’ by the NFL, despite the backlash.
Speaking to Daily Mail at the Super Bowl’s opening night on Monday, Diggs revealed he thought the Puerto Rican artist is the perfect choice: ‘I don’t really get into politics or religion on camera or on the internet.
‘I keep my personal views to myself because nobody cares about how you feel. There’s always going to be someone that disagrees with you.
‘I think Benito is one hell of an artist. I feel like they picked him for a reason. He’s one of the biggest artists in the world. I even listen to the songs and I can barely say the words.
‘I think he was a great choice and I look forward to the halftime show, watching it after the game not during. I hope it’s a great show and people enjoy it.’
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained coy on Bunny’s latest criticism of ICE at the Grammys on Sunday night.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye speaks to the media during opening night
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained coy on Bad Bunny’s ICE criticism at the Grammys
Diggs is dating rapper Cardi B, who is expected to be at Levi’s Stadium to cheer on her man
The Puerto Rican artist criticized ICE during his victory speech, just a week before Donald Trump’s agents will be patrolling when he performs at Levi’s Stadium.
Speaking at his annual press conference at Super Bowl week, Goodell described Bad Bunny as ‘one of the greatest artists in the world’, before adding: ‘He understood the platform he was on.
‘This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent, and to be able to use this moment to do that. I think artists in the past have done that.
‘I think Bad Bunny understands that and I think he’ll have a great performance.’
Bad Bunny won three awards on Sunday night, including the prestigious Album of the Year, and said: ‘Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE Out.’
He received a massive ovation from the crowd before he continued his speech. ‘We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.
‘The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.
‘We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it, with love.’
The announcement that Bad Bunny would perform instantly placed the singer and rapper at the center of a political firestorm.
Within days, the choice drew sharp rebukes from high-ranking government officials who questioned the artist’s past criticisms of U.S. immigration policies. He previously cited ICE agents as a reason he did not include any mainland US dates for his tour.
Trump was among those to criticize the decision, and he later revealed that he would not be attending the game due to the Puerto Rican’s selection.
