Bad Bunny and Green Day: The PR Behind This Decision
I am so excited for Super Bowl 60 to happen on February 8, 2026. One of my favorite things about the Super Bowl is the opening acts and the halftime show. It is always interesting to see who performs, what they wear and if there are any special guest performers joining them on stage. This year we have the classic-rock band Green Day opening, Charlie Puth singing the national anthem, Brandi Carlile performing “America the Beautiful”, Coco Jones singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Latin music artist Bad Bunny performing at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California featuring the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks.
Although we have some positive and negative feedback about two main acts, I am sure everyone will be in for a ride. Starting off with Green Day, the rock band has been around for 40 years now, and they are not only known for being a classic rock band but also known for being one of the most openly political bands known for their famous song “American Idiot”. Conservatives have a lump in their throat about Green Day opening because they fear not going side by side with Bad Bunny and their political remarks and then hating President Donald Trump. Basically, to sum that up on a positive note, we have a lot of their fans really excited to see them perform because supporters frame them as real music and authentic, which is really true. Typically, what the National Football League (NFL) does is have strict performance agreements such as timing or lyrics, positioning them as “legacy rock” in case the press emphasizes career longevity not activism, placement before kickoff not halftime, so fewer eyes, less scrutiny. All in all, Green Day will be great for stabilizing older viewers and softening backlash against other performers. The only worry is that people will keep political speculation alive and risk unscripted moments becoming headlines, but I am sure Green Day will not care if it is positive or negative headlines.
Not going to lie to you guys, when I heard Bad Bunny was performing the halftime show I felt ecstatic. As the first solo Spanish-language Latino artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, his selection represents a significant milestone in cultural representation.I know a bunch of other Latinos and Latinos felt like this too, because I know we feel hopeless for the future, but to have a Puerto Rican singing at the halftime show should give us hope for more Latinos and Latinos to be represented. Not only that but the public relations aspect of it would be the NFL’s strategic shift toward inclusivity and global music markets. Unfortunately, though, since some people want to be conceited, we got a bunch of negative feedback too, calling it “anti-American” and “not broadly appealing.” First, Puerto Rico is literally a part of America. Another reason they do not want Bad Bunny is because of the political backlash tied to immigration, which should be irrelevant because he is just performing like President Trump is just being a “president.” Thankfully, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly defended and urged everyone to be unified, which reminded me of what Kristi Noem says for us to unify and help ICE agents find “illegal aliens” so the conservatives should do the same and unify with this performance because this is not a political performance. Bad Bunny had a commercial of him dancing with different ethnicities, basically saying the whole world is invited to watch the Super Bowl.
Media coverage surrounding the halftime announcement extended beyond traditional sports commentary. In a notable development, conservative political organization Turning Point USA announced an alternative livestream halftime event featuring Kid Rock, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. Marketed as a “family-friendly” celebration of faith, family, and freedom, the event served as political counter-programming.
From a public relations standpoint, this reflects how major cultural events can become symbolic battlegrounds. The emergence of a competing broadcast reframed the halftime show as part of a broader cultural conversation. However, controversy often amplifies visibility. Increased debate, whether supportive or critical, drives engagement, social media discussion, and ultimately viewership.
Several public relations strategies stand out in this year’s entertainment rollout. Broadening audience demographics through genre diversity (rock, pop, R&B, country influences, Latin music), expanding global reach by selecting an internationally dominant streaming artist, positioning legacy and innovation together to balance older and younger viewers, framing representation as unity rather than politics, leveraging controversy for engagement without directly amplifying partisan debate, integrating artist branding into NFL messaging, particularly around inclusion and global celebration.
Shockingly, but to be honest, not because of pettiness, the emergence of a competing halftime show segment outside the NFL’s official broadcast is conservative political group Turning Point USA announced their own halftime show on stream, which is headlined by Kid Rock and other country acts like Lee Brice plus Gabby Barrett. They are making a “family-friendly” alternative of faith, family, and freedom. As a public relations impact, it is basically political counter programming, which means turning a cultural moment into a divided moment splitting public commentary. Either way though, good or bad press about this is still getting everyone’s attention. For example, broadening audience demographics, cultural representation, inclusion messaging, turning controversy into publicity engagement and leveraging artist branding to boost NFL commercial reach. All this criticism has people talking till game day!
Bio: Angela Tamayo is a student at California State University, Northridge, majoring in journalism and public relations with a minor in interactive marketing.