The NFL just cannot help itself. Every year it promises football, and every year it delivers a lecture. Now the league is staring down another self-inflicted mess after reports surfaced that Super Bowl halftime headliner Bad Bunny plans to wear a dress during the broadcast, allegedly as a deliberate political statement.
According to Radar Online, a member of Bad Bunny’s own styling team claims the singer is preparing to take the stage in a dress during the halftime show at Super Bowl LX, framing it as “a political thunderbolt disguised as couture.” The source said the look is meant to honor Puerto Rican queer icons and provoke controversy on one of the largest television stages on Earth. In other words, mission accomplished before a single note has been played.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has built a career on pushing buttons. Nobody should be shocked. But fans are right to question why the NFL keeps inviting this kind of culture-war spectacle into what used to be a celebration of the sport. The Super Bowl is supposed to be about football, not about turning halftime into a social studies seminar with backup dancers.
Super Bowl LX is scheduled for February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and even though neither Bad Bunny nor the NFL has officially confirmed the wardrobe choice, the reaction online was immediate and brutal. Conservatives accused the league of once again prioritizing activism over its audience. Many vowed to skip the halftime show entirely, while others said they may tune out the game altogether.
Right-leaning commentators blasted the NFL for allowing yet another political performance, with some calling it the final straw after years of creeping “wokeness.” Prediction markets even joked that it could become the lowest viewed halftime show of all time, which says a lot about how tired people are of being lectured during a football game.
The backlash is not happening in a vacuum. When the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the headliner last fall, the choice was already controversial. President Trump reportedly called the decision “absolutely ridiculous,” and plenty of fans agreed. Bad Bunny’s past comments about immigration enforcement and his reluctance to tour certain U.S. cities under the Trump administration only added fuel to the fire.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, as expected, brushed off the criticism. He said the league always faces backlash over halftime picks and insisted the decision was carefully thought through. That line might sound reassuring in a boardroom, but it rings hollow to fans who just want touchdowns, not drag statements.
Bad Bunny is undeniably successful, with chart-topping albums and a shelf full of Grammys. But success does not obligate the NFL to turn its biggest night into a political performance. At some point, the league has to decide whether it wants to entertain its fans or antagonize them. Based on recent history, the answer seems pretty clear, and it is not football.
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