By: Aaliyah Collins, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
13 minutes.
In just 13 minutes, so many different aspects of hispanic culture were shown and appreciated. The sugarcane fields, “La Casita”, the child sleeping on the chairs, the real wedding, “Nueva Yol,” and so many more.
Bad Bunny’s halftime show was a walk through Puerto Rican culture and traditions. Not in a “rebellious act”, but in an effort to raise appreciation to the island.
He sang on top of electricity poles to represent the frequent power outages.
“La Casita” reflected a typical family home in Puerto Rico.
The child sleeping on a makeshift bed made from 3 chairs is something many children can relate to, as family parties lasted all night while everyone danced and celebrated.
“Nueva Yol” represented the large population of Puerto Ricans in New York.
Puerto Rico is a popular vacation destination. Throughout each year, people visit the island to experience the beautiful beaches, eat delicious food, enjoy the nice weather, and enjoy the frituras and desserts. Despite that, the island and its people face mockery and hatred for a number of ridiculous reasons.
Previous halftime show performers took their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spread a message to viewers when they took on what’s considered to be one of the largest stages in the U.S., and that is exactly what Bad Bunny did.
He represented Latino-Americans. He gave Latino-Americans a voice. In a world where leaders strive to water down Latino culture in America, Bad Bunny celebrated it.
It is important for Latino-Americans to look on their screen and see someone like them winning a Grammy or performing at a Super Bowl Halftime Show.
13 minutes.
That was all it took for America to spread hate, rather than love. All it took for America to divide, rather than unify. All it took for America to ignore the message being told, rather than appreciate it.
An alternate show was put on, so that people didn’t have to sit through 13 minutes of a well-thought out halftime show.
This was not a matter of understanding the language or not. Those who do not speak the language, could have danced to the beautiful music and watched the beauty of togetherness that was displayed on their screen.
Of course, not everyone knows the language, but it’s not hard to do research and to translate the lyrics to his song so that his powerful message could be understood. For anyone that does not speak the language but wants to understand why people are calling this one of the greatest halftime shows ever, it is easy to go on social media or check the internet to get a better understanding.
On February 8th, 2026, for the first time ever, Americans were given an alternate Halftime show. They were given an alternate Halftime Show so that Americans didn’t have to see the world through their neighbors eyes. They were given an alternate Halftime Show to make the Puerto Rican performer and Latino viewers feel less than. They were given an alternate Halftime Show to divide America.
It’s no secret that us Puerto Ricans are very proud of our culture. Any chance we get, we wave and display our flag. We decorate our homes and cars with the flag and we wear it on our bodies with clothing and jewelry.
But keep in mind that there was a point in time when it was illegal to display our flag in America.
Bad Bunny took on that stage and made a powerful statement. He is the first Halftime Show performer to include almost every country in the Americas in his show.
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” showed the sign above Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show.
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