The Super Bowl Halftime Show is Becoming Political
Graphics by Téa Sklar
It’s that time of year again, where fall and spooky season is in full bloom, but the biggest scare is finding out who will be headlining the infamous Super Bowl Halftime Show. Although in the beginning it was a performance from typically college marching bands, it has now grown into a life form of its own, slowly drifting into the world of famous artists and musicians. From Katy Perry to Prince, the Super Bowl Halftime Performance is almost a rite of passage for an artist’s career. By performing, it proves that an artist's catalog is powerful, important, and full of well known hits. Yet, with the most recent performance this February, as well as the recent choice of the upcoming performer, I’m noticing somewhat of a pattern. In my opinion, I think these shows are getting somewhat political, but maybe that’s what the world needs.
In February of this year, the Super Bowl’s 59th game had influential rapper Kendrick Lamar take the stage at halftime. From chart-topping hits to literally winning the Pulitzer Prize, there was no doubt that he would deliver an amazing performance. What wasn’t considered was the political message he was going to convey with his show. I won’t go much into it, as there’s so many deep and hidden messages throughout the performance, but having Samuel L. Jackson playing Uncle Sam was already enough to create a stir. Dealing with government control and racial injustice, this performance can be classified into one of politics. Although somewhat risky of a choice to do so, what better place or time is there to make a statement? Millions and millions and millions of people watch the Super Bowl every year, and even more just watch the halftime show alone (me). By having the platform and the opportunity, why not let your voice be heard and make a statement that everyone will see, even including the President?
Then, once the next performer was selected a couple of weeks ago, I noticed how it had already become a political controversy, even not having performed yet. One of the most infamous latin artists, Bad Bunny, was chosen to headline the 2026 halftime show. The second the news hit, the country basically split into two. Either you love the choice, or hate it. But, in regards to the side who disagrees, it slowly turned into an issue of race and politics. All of a sudden, conservatives and right-leaning people turned on this decision, saying he wasn’t “American” enough and literally creating a petition to replace him with a white country artist??? I don’t know if they’ve noticed, but the past couple performers haven't been country, or white, so why they’re specifically targeting Bad Bunny, who knows. I just feel as though, especially surrounding the ICE controversies in this country, there is so much hatred and racism directed towards immigrants or Latin Americans. But, by having the National Football League, a huge corporation, choose a Latino artist to perform on one of the biggest stages in the country, it allows for Latino people to be seen and feel represented in a country that won’t represent them.
In a time where we’re faced with political controversies on a daily occurrence, there’s no better way for art to be displayed. The Super Bowl Halftime Performances are seen by practically everyone. Although some may want to keep politics out of music and art, isn’t that what it is? We use art as a way to make a statement and point, sometimes that could be controversial. These halftime performances are just another outlet to let important art be highlighted and potentially create change in the world.