February’s annual Super Bowl featured not just a football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, but also a cultural conflict between Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl-sponsored halftime performance and Turning Point USA (TPUSA)’s alternative “All-American Halftime Show.” The TPUSA show was not run by the National Football League (NFL), but some people believe Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was not fit to represent Americans because Puerto Rico may not be seen as one of the 50 States of America: an idea mostly supported by conservatives. TPUSA’s pre-recorded online halftime show was also a tribute to the former politician Charlie Kirk, who was murdered during one of his college tours on Sept. 10, 2025. While the TPUSA show was not an official NFL halftime show, many people considered it one.
Amanda Macdonald, a junior at Martin Luther King High School, is among those who preferred the TPUSA performance over Bad Bunny’s. Macdonald said, “It was never about whose music I liked more. I’m a Christian, and I’m not comfortable hearing inappropriate music even if it’s in a language I don’t understand.”
Bad Bunny’s performance was a showcase of Puerto Rican streets, culture and countryside. He opened with his hit song, “Titi Me Pergunto,” while people danced around him, incorporating elements of hip hop and jazz. The scene then shifted to a house with a family, where Bad Bunny presented his new Grammy for Album of the Year to a little boy. Bad Bunny is the first artist to win for a fully Spanish-language project, his 2025 album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.” Some speculated that the boy represented 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who had just been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but later it was confirmed that the actor simply symbolized Bad Bunny’s younger self.
Kaelan Shrum, a junior at Huntington Beach High School (HBHS), said, “I enjoyed the Bad Bunny show and didn’t get the chance to watch Kid Rock. I thought the Bad Bunny show was phenomenal. I didn’t understand the language, but I could still get down with the music. The cultural representation in the show was so cool to watch.”
The TPUSA show started off with a guitar riff in the form of the National Anthem, then moved on to a patriotic song titled “Real American,” and then into the hit country song, “Dirt Road Anthem,” by Jason Aldean. Country performer, Brantley Gilbert, covered the famous country songs listed. The set featured a lot of background action and was a mix of rock, country and rap. After him, Gabby Barrett, a former-American Idol star, performed her hit songs “I Hope” and “The Good Ones.” Lee Brice came in after, performing the overtly political song “Drinking Class.” Kid Rock, a country star who introduced a new genre of country-rap and rock, came in and closed the show.
Statistics show 35% of US adults prefer Bad Bunny’s halftime show, compared with 28% who prefer the alternate, TPUSA program. These are close in numbers and represent the diverse beliefs of America.
“I hate that it’s about politics. Puerto Rico is American. There was no need to make two halftime shows. I like both country and Latin music. It’s a shame our country is so divided by beliefs,” said Charly Seranno, a junior at HBHS.
While these halftime shows were drastically different, both were large-scale productions that required significant funding and a massive effort from their staff. However, the cultural divide between the two performances wasn’t about musical taste and quickly fueled harsh opinions based on political beliefs.
