The halftime show of Super Bowl LX, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), was watched by 128.2 million viewers, making it one of the most viewed halftime performances in the event’s history. But the impact was not only musical. Bad Bunny used the biggest sporting stage in the United States to deliver a message that blended cultural identity, the presence of Spanish, and a final phrase projected on screen: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
He also addressed the audience directly: “My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and, if I am here today at Super Bowl LX, it’s because I never stopped believing in myself,” he said during the performance. Shortly after, he recited: “They want to take my river and my beach, they want my neighborhood and for grandma to leave,” in a song denouncing the pressure faced by residents in Puerto Rico due to gentrification, as well as the cultural loss experienced by Hawaii after becoming a U.S. state. A week later, the conversation was still alive — not about the final score, nor only about the spectacle, but about the message.
A global message amplified by sport
The Super Bowl is the most-watched annual television event in the United States and one of the most followed worldwide. The price of a 30-second commercial surpassed seven million dollars, underscoring the scale of the platform. In that context, a sporting stage becomes a cultural amplifier. The closing message did not remain inside the stadium: it was replayed in news broadcasts, editorials and social media discussions for days.
The resonance extended beyond entertainment. In Puerto Rico, collective watch parties and public celebrations were organised, while international media analysed the symbolic meaning of a Latin artist performing in Spanish before more than 128 million viewers. Sport acted as a catalyst for identity, community and global conversation.
Measurable impact: audience, economy and conversation
The day after the performance, his streaming figures in the United States increased by 175 percent, according to data reported by U.S. business media. The sporting platform had amplified more than a concert: it had multiplied a narrative. This was not only about entertainment, but about conversion into consumption, sustained conversation and cultural presence.
Donald Trump, President of the United States, who did not attend the event, also contributed — albeit unintentionally — to spreading the message by describing the performance on Truth Social as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst in history.” He added: “Nobody understands a word this guy says.”
The ripple effect reached unexpected spheres. On 6 February, Ronald Aldon Hicks, aged 58, was formally designated Archbishop of New York before more than 2,000 faithful and authorities. In his address, he surprised many by quoting a line associated with the song “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny: “If you want to have fun with charm and style, you only have to spend a summer in New York.” The reference, delivered in one of the most emblematic Catholic temples in the United States, illustrated how the artist’s message had moved beyond the sporting spectacle into broader social and cultural debate.
It’s not the artist. It’s the strategy.
The point is not Bad Bunny himself. The point is understanding what happens when sport lends its spotlight to a narrative capable of connecting with social groups that do not necessarily consume pure competition. The combination of spectacle, identity and message transforms the event into something transversal. The NFL does not lose prominence; it expands it. Sport becomes a stage for popular culture.
Federations and leagues seek new audiences, digital reach and a place in public conversation. The Super Bowl demonstrated that a message launched from the heart of a sporting event can reach millions of households, generate measurable economic growth and continue to resonate days later in fields as diverse as music, politics and religion. The question is not whether you should call Bad Bunny. The question is what narrative you are prepared to project when you have a sporting stage capable of gathering more than 128 million people in front of the same screen.
