Update: At a Thursday press conference Bad Bunny said of the Super Bowl despite all the controversy, “I’m just trying to enjoy it, I know I’m gonna have fun. All the crew, all the people, they’re going to have fun that day.” Bad Bunny made history at last weekend’s Grammys when his album became the first fully Spanish-language project to win album of the year.

The NFL, indeed, all professional sports franchises and politics, at one time, stayed out of each other’s way.

But that’s gone, and has been for more than a decade.

Despite Trump saying he would not attend Super Bowl LX amid criticisms of the choices for pre-game and halftime entertainment, Americans are now used to politics making its way onto the field and into stadiums.

Recalling the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem in 2016—reportedly this was Kaepernick’s way of peacefully protesting systemic racial injustice, police brutality and the oppression of Black people and people of color.

Kaepernick stated, he would not show pride in a flag for a country that did not protect its citizens and shifted from sitting to kneeling to show respect for the military while still protesting.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

At first, Kaepernick received criticism from many in the public and some in the NFL community, but support began to grow for his right to protest, as well as for the message he conveyed.

Kaepernick had brought a mostly closeted debate to national attention through a personal protest—like it or not.

Today, there is no question, team franchises, players and even coaches are compelled to take a side—and make a political statement, either way, or be called out for staying silent.

With Super Bowl LX (60), the NFL is once again at the center of a political debate after announcing Green Day as an opening act and Bad Bunny as its halftime show performer—both artists have been open about their political opinions regarding the current administration.

Ever since Green Day released their first studio album, their songs have brought attention to alienation, social issues, politics, and the angst of suburban youth. One example of this is their hit song, “American Idiot”—lyrics that heavily criticized the state of the United States in 2004 by referencing the dangers of “new, biased media.”

Starting with their performance at Dick Clark’s 2024 New Year’s Rockin’ Eve performance, Green Day changed one of their hit lyrics from “American Idiot”, “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda,” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.” They continued using this during their “The Saviors” tour and their 2025 Coachella set.

Bad Bunny has also used his music to express his political views, in songs like “Nuevayol” and “Compositor del Año.” In both songs, he addresses immigration, a reason Bad Bunny cancelled his United States portion of his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos World” tour.

“People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world,” Bad Bunny told i-D magazine, “But there was the issue that of – like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

He also responded in the i-D magazine interview when asked by the reporter, “You said you wouldn’t be giving any concerts in the United States. Was this out of concern about [the mass deportations of] Latinos in the United States?

“According to the Man, honestly, yes. There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US…”

At a local sports bar in Glendale over the weekend, Northeast Valley News asked several patrons their opinion about the pre-game and half-time entertainment picks for Super Bowl LX.

“Oh, they’re both awesome,” said Share Kennedy, a Seattle fan who was thrilled when she heard that Green Day would be performing. “It’s a great choice.”

Alan Ortiz told Northeast Valley News, it was wild that Bad Bunny had decided to accept the invite to play.

“There’s no one like Bad Bunny, he’s gonna get even more fans, his Reggaeton and Latin fusion is lit.”

The NFL faced public backlash over its entertainment choices, especially Bad Bunny, but despite that, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made his stance very clear: the league would make no effort to find a replacement artist.

The league also had an outpouring of support.

“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said, “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s important for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value. It’s carefully thought through. I would say that I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism.”

While there is nothing explicit indicating that there will be any political affiliations within their sets, if there are, it would not be the first time an artist has done so.

During Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 59 halftime show, he used his time to bring up the problems that black cultures face to symbolize America’s corrupt and divided political system.

“40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music,” Lamar said, “Yeah, they try to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.”

Trump has ultimately decided to forgo attending this year’s Super Bowl.

And reportedly was not pleased that Latin rap superstar, Bad Bunny and Green Day, both critics of Trump, will entertain at the Feb. 8 championship

“I’m anti-them,” Trump said. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”

“It’s just too far away,” Trump said. “I would. I’ve (gotten) great hands (at) the Super Bowl. They like me.” Trump attended Super Bowl LIX last year, which featured the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

He was reportedly booed during an appearance at a Detroit Lions-Washington Commanders game in November.

The NFL has strongly defended the decision to have Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.  “There’s a lot of people right now who don’t like Bad Bunny being in the Super Bowl halftime show,” said NFL chief marketing officer Tim Ellis in October. “Well, not everyone has to like everything we do. Bad Bunny is f—ing awesome.”