WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Don’t tune into hoping for a break from the tumultuous politics gripping the U.S.
is facing pressure ahead of Sunday’s game between the and the to take a more explicit stance against the Trump administration’s aggressive . More than 184,000 people have signed a petition calling on the league to denounce the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Super Bowl, which is being held at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. The liberal group MoveOn plans to deliver the petition to the NFL’s New York City headquarters on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, anticipation is building around how , the halftime show’s Spanish-speaking headliner, will address the moment. He has criticized President on everything from his hurricane response in his native Puerto Rico to his treatment of immigrants. On Sunday, he while accepting an award at the Grammys. His latest tour skipped the continental U.S. because of fears his fans could be targeted by immigration agents.
Trump, a Republican, has said he doesn’t plan to attend this year’s game, unlike last year, and has derided Bad Bunny as a 鈥渢errible choice.鈥� A Republican senator is calling it 鈥渢he woke bowl.鈥� And a prominent conservative group plans to hold an alternative show it hopes will steal attention from the main event.
The Super Bowl is one of the few remaining cultural touchstones viewed by millions of people in real time, and the halftime show is no stranger to controversy, perhaps most notably 2004 performance in which her breast was exposed. But there are few parallels to this year’s game, which could become an unusual mix of sports, entertainment, politics and protest. And it will unfold at a tinderbox moment for the U.S., two weeks after by federal agents in Minneapolis reignited a national debate over the Trump administration’s hard-line law enforcement tactics.
鈥淭he Super Bowl is supposed to be an escape, right? We鈥檙e supposed to go there to not have to talk about the serious things of this country,鈥� said Tiki Barber, a former player for the who played in the Super Bowl in 2001 and has since attended several as a commentator. 鈥淚 hope it doesn鈥檛 devolve, because if it does, then I think we鈥檙e really losing touch with what鈥檚 important in our society.鈥�
Bad Bunny has leaned into the controversy
Bad Bunny, born in Puerto Rico as Benito Antonio Mart铆nez Ocasio, has elevated Latino music into the mainstream and gained global fame with songs almost entirely in Spanish 鈥� something that irks many of his conservative detractors. He has leaned into the controversy, referring to the halftime show when he in October by joking 鈥渆verybody is happy about it 鈥� even Fox 草莓传媒.鈥�
He segued into a few sentences in Spanish, expressing Latino pride in the achievement, and finished by saying in English, 鈥淚f you didn鈥檛 understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!鈥�
Those who follow him closely doubt he’ll back down now.
鈥淗e has made it very clear what he stands for,鈥� said Vanessa D铆az, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and co-author of 鈥淧 FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.鈥� 鈥淪o I can鈥檛 imagine that this would all go away with the Super Bowl.鈥�
The halftime show is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music. Roc Nation curates the performers and Apple Music distributes the performance while the NFL controls the stage, broadcast and branding.
The NFL, which is working to expand its appeal across the world, including into Latin America, said it never considered removing Bad Bunny from the halftime show even after criticism from Trump and some of his supporters.
NFL Commissioner on Monday described the singer as 鈥渙ne of the great artists in the world” and someone who understands the power of the Super Bowl performance 鈥渢o unite people.”
About half of Americans approved of Bad Bunny as the halftime performer, according to . But there were substantial gaps with about three-quarters of Democrats backing the pick compared to just 16% of Republicans. About 60% of Black and Hispanic adults approved of the selection compared with 41% of whites.
Republicans are eager to maintain Latino support in their bid to keep control of Congress. But as the Super Bowl draws near, many in the GOP have kept up their Bad Bunny critiques.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday criticized Bad Bunny’s anti-ICE statement at the Grammys, saying celebrities don’t face the same dangers as other Americans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, millions of dollars to protect themselves, trying to demonize, again, law enforcement,鈥� she said.
Sen. of Alabama, the former head football coach at Auburn University who’s now running for governor, derided the 鈥淲oke Bowl” on 草莓传媒max last week and said he’ll watch an alternative event hosted by Turning Point USA. , a vocal Trump supporter, will be among the performers at its event.
DHS won’t say whether immigration agents will be at Super Bowl
In recent days, official Jeff Brannigan hosted a series of private calls with local officials and the NFL in which he indicated that ICE does not plan to conduct any law enforcement actions the week of the Super Bowl or at the game, according to two NFL officials with direct knowledge of the conversations.
On Tuesday, NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier said the federal security presence at the game will be consistent with past Super Bowls and ICE will not be among the federal agencies present.
鈥淭here are no planned ICE enforcement activities. We are confident of that,鈥� Lanier said at a security briefing.
Still, some worry that Trump and his MAGA allies who lead DHS can change their minds ahead given their recent statements. DHS official Corey Lewandowski, a key adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, said in October that ICE agents would be conducting immigration enforcement at the game.
鈥淭here is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in the country illegally, not the Super Bowl, not anywhere else,鈥� he said at the time.
Asked to clarify ICE’s role this week, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin refused to say whether federal immigration agents will be present for the Super Bowl.
The progressive group MoveOn will host a Tuesday rally outside the NFL headquarters in New York to present a petition telling the league, “No ICE at the Super Bowl.”
鈥淭his year鈥檚 Super Bowl should be remembered for big plays and Bad Bunny, not masked and armed ICE agents running around the stadium inflicting chaos, violence, and trauma on fans and stadium workers,鈥� MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich said, adding the NFL has a responsibility to protect Super Bowl fans and stadium workers and “keep ICE out of the game.鈥�
In an interview, San Francisco Mayor was optimistic the event would be a success even in a politically tense climate.
鈥淲e are going to keep everybody safe 鈥� our residents, our visitors,鈥� he said. “Obviously with everything going on, we’re staying on top of it, monitoring everything. But I expect everything to be safe and fun.鈥�
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Peoples reported from New York.
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