{"id":334885,"date":"2026-02-10T09:56:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=334885"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:56:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:56:56","slug":"bad-bunny-brings-cuba-into-the-unforgettable-dance-of-the-super-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/culture\/bad-bunny-brings-cuba-into-the-unforgettable-dance-of-the-super-bowl\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Bunny brings Cuba into the \u201cunforgettable dance\u201d of the Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0sun\u00a0was fading in Santa Clara, California, and at Levi\u2019s Stadium, a\u00a0\u201cGod Bless America\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>was heard that had a symbolic twist.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As had rarely happened before, the traditional American patriotic phrase was transformed into a prayer for peace, protection,\u00a0blessings\u00a0and unity not of one country, but of an entire continent, just as the curtain fell on the most Latino\u00a0halftime show in Super Bowl history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the NFL Super Bowl, one of the five sporting events with the greatest global reach, the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks almost took a back seat for millions of viewers who, after marking February 8th on their calendars, were\u00a0definitely not\u00a0disappointed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason? Simple: Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny.\u00a0\u201cIf\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0here today at\u00a0the\u00a0Super Bowl 60,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. And you should believe in yourself too.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0worth more than you think. Believe me,\u201d\u00a0said Bad Bunny on a stage full of Puerto Rican symbols and customs, from sugarcane fields to domino games, barbershops and dancers dressed as j\u00edbaros (Puerto Rican\u00a0farmers).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"View
View of the audience during the concert of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny during his performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California, United States. Photo: EFE\/Acoustyle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His message, singing in Spanish from beginning to end at the quintessential\u00a0\u201cgringo\u201d\u00a0show, transcended U.S.\u00a0borders with a dedication\u00a0to all the countries of the continent, which he mentioned one by one in a parade of flags that ended right at the stadium\u2019s end zone, which displayed on one of its screens the powerful phrase with which Benito rocked the Grammy ceremony last week:\u00a0\u201cThe only thing more powerful than hate is love.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There, Bad Bunny then showed the\u00a0\u201cTogether we are America\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>engraved on the\u00a0football\u00a0ball he was holding, which he threw against the ground like someone scoring a winning touchdown in the face of the most powerful rival that has ever existed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bad
Bad Bunny\u2019s message at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California. Photo: John G. Mabanglo\/EFE\/EPA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cuba in\u00a0the\u00a0house<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhether\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia,\u00a0Peru, Ecuador,\u00a0Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana,\u00a0Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala,\u00a0Mexico\u2026Cuba,\u00a0Dominican\u00a0Republic, Jamaica,\u00a0Haiti,\u00a0the\u00a0Antilles,\u00a0United\u00a0States,\u00a0Canada\u00a0and\u00a0my\u00a0motherland,\u00a0my\u00a0homeland, Puerto Rico.\u00a0<\/span>We are still here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad Bunny\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0leave anyone out. All the countries of America were reflected in the most watched Super Bowl show in history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cuba was one of the nations that received a nod, not only for the parade of the\u00a0lone\u00a0star flag at Levi\u2019s Stadium, but also for the direct invitation to a son of Havana.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are talking about Juan Carlos Pi\u00f1eiro, a professional basketball player and owner of a shaved ice cart in San Juan, who served a shaved ice (iced drink\u00a0for Cubans) to Bad Bunny at the beginning of the show, when the Puerto Rican star was singing\u00a0\u201cTit\u00ed\u00a0me\u00a0pregunt\u00f3.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pi\u00f1eiro left Cuba in June 2012 to\u00a0participate\u00a0with the national team in the Central American Basketball\u00a0tournament\u00a0held in Hato Rey, north of the Puerto Rican capital. He stayed there and embarked on a professional career that has taken him through the\u00a0Brujos de Guayama, the\u00a0Caciques de Humacao, the\u00a0Cangrejeros de Santurce\u00a0(the team owned by Bad Bunny), the\u00a0Cariduros\u00a0de Fajardo\u00a0and the\u00a0Capitanes\u00a0de Arecibo, his current club.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore than an athlete, Juan Pablo is family, he is\u00a0culture\u00a0and he\u00a0is\u00a0pure\u00a0heart. Today we celebrate his versatility: from being a player for our\u00a0Capitanes\u00a0team and a\u00a0shaved ice\u00a0vendor, to shining in front of millions of people,\u201d\u00a0the club posted on its Instagram account.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pi\u00f1eiro was not the only athlete invited to\u00a0participate\u00a0in Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl show. During his performance on the stage that recreated a very Puerto Rican setting, Puerto Rican boxer Xander Zayas, the unified super welterweight champion, and Mexican-American Emiliano Vargas appeared boxing, while Venezuelan baseball player Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. was in\u00a0\u201cLa Casita\u201d\u00a0(part of the stage design for\u00a0Bad Bunny\u2019s\u00a0current world tour).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots-Seahawks, in the shadow of Bad Bunny<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

When Bad Bunny appeared at Levi\u2019s Stadium immaculately dressed in white, with the number 64 on his chest and his mother\u2019s last name (Ocasio) on his back, the Seahawks were firmly in control of the Super Bowl against the Patriots.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Julian
Julian Love, a player with Cuban-Mexican roots, was crowned champion with the Seattle Seahawks. Photo: Chris Torres\/EFE\/EPA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seattle\u2019s defensive line, with a player of\u00a0Cuban-Mexican\u00a0descent (Julian Love) in its ranks, had completely stifled the attack of the talented quarterback Drake Maye, who at halftime still had zero points for New England.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots lacked spice and flavor, precisely what Bad Bunny\u2019s show had in abundance, transforming the stage into emotion, love and Latino pride every second with a performance of 13 of his most popular songs, one of them (LO QUE LE PAS\u00d3 A HAWAII) sung by Ricky Martin, another Puerto Rican star.\u00a0And speaking of legends, there\u00a0were also flashes of homage to classics by Tego Calder\u00f3n, Don Omar, H\u00e9ctor\u00a0\u201cEl Father\u201d\u00a0and Daddy Yankee.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even Lady Gaga dancing salsa\u00a0<\/span>\u2014<\/span>\u00a0we never saw that coming\u00a0<\/span>\u2014<\/span>\u00a0with her hit\u00a0\u201cDie\u00a0With\u00a0a Smile\u201d\u00a0had more rhythm than the New England players, stuck in a failed strategy, without\u00a0spirit, without spark and, above all, very repetitive, although perhaps not as much as the attacks on Bad Bunny.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Puerto
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin during his collaboration with Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California. Photo: EFE\/Acoustyle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Puerto
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny during his performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California, alongside Lady Gaga. Photo: EFE\/Acoustyle. \u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The leader of this offensive against the singer could be none other than Donald Trump, clearly annoyed, judging by his\u00a0<\/span>posts<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u202fon his Truth Social\u00a0media network:\u00a0\u201cThe Super Bowl halftime show\u00a0absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER.\u00a0It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0represent\u00a0our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0remains\u00a0unclear is whether Trump wrote this speech before the Super Bowl or if he betrayed himself and ended up\u00a0\u201cenjoying\u201d\u00a0Bad Bunny\u2019s show just so he could criticize it. If so, then he must have missed the performance of his admirers Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Brantley\u00a0Gilbert\u00a0and Gabby Barrett at the alternative show organized by the conservative organization The Turning Point USA.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Incidentally, this show had just over\u00a0<\/span>six\u00a0million\u00a0viewers.<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0Meanwhile, Bad Bunny had a Super Bowl audience of 135.4 million viewers, surpassing the\u00a0previous\u00a0record held by Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million in 2025). Such a fan of numbers, Trump must have had trouble sleeping.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"People
People react in San Juan (Puerto Rico) during the broadcast of singer Bad Bunny\u2019s performance at the Super Bowl in the United States this Sunday. In bars, outdoor spaces, cinemas and homes, Puerto Rico came to a standstill to follow with passion and pride the performance of their compatriot Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show, which was full of references to Puerto Rican culture. Photo: Thais Llorca\/EFE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The same applies to Laura Loomer, a far-right activist known for her racist and homophobic online posts, who lashed out on X against the NFL, demanding an apology to the American people\u00a0\u201cfor flooding the Super Bowl with foreign flags.\u00a0Totally disgraceful<\/span>.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow wonderful it is to be Latino!\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cAs Latinos, we should be proud that Benito sang in Spanish at the most important\u00a0U.S.\u00a0event.\u00a0Viva\u00a0Bad Bunny!\u201d\u00a0exclaimed Mexican reporter John Sutcliffe during ESPN\u2019s live broadcast from Santa Clara.\u00a0Almost in\u00a0tears and with a trembling voice, the journalist delivered a message that is a small example of how deeply Bad Bunny\u2019s\u00a0performance resonated.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n