Bad Bunny didn’t hop out of his seat for “God Bless America.”
The global superstar and Puerto Rican rapper, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been in a news a lot recently because the NFL tapped him to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8. There were a lot of rumors as to who would grace the Super Bowl Halftime stage, with many assuming that Taylor Swift would be chosen since she’s been so intertwined with the NFL in the past couple of years.
Some even though that this would be the year that country music would return to the big game’s biggest stage, but that didn’t happen either. Instead, the NFL went with Bad Bunny.
Now to be clear, it’s not like that decision came out of nowhere, and isn’t backed up by the numbers. Bad Bunny is undoubtedly a musical powerhouse when it comes to global reach and popularity. He boasts 77.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and he made history when he became the first ever artist to capture the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with an all-Spanish language project.
You’ve likely even seen him as he’s ventured into an acting career, starring in films like Bullet Train, Caught Stealing, and Happy Gilmore 2. He’s also had a multitude of appearances in the WWE, and just last weekend, he was the host of Saturday Night Live.
Where he said this about those that are upset he was named the Super Bowl LX halftime performer:
And the decision to have Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl also makes a lot of sense when you consider that the NFL is very passionate and motivated to spread the game of football (specifically their league) all across the world.
Some people haven’t been convinced by all of that though, and think that the NFL should have gone with a different artist. They see the move as a bit of a middle finger to the current Donald Trump administration, who is dramatically trying to crack down on illegal immigration. And that crowd is likely feeling even more strongly about that after TMZ captured footage of Bad Bunny staying seated during a performance of “God Bless America” at a Yankees game earlier this week.
The live image was taken during the 7th inning stretch of the game, and it appears to show the Puerto-Rican pop star choosing to stay in his seat, along with his friends. It’s typically customary and respectful to stand for both “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” while at baseball games, but Benito evidently didn’t get the memo.
Here’s the footage (a live photo) that TMZ shared:
@tmz🚨Exclusive: Bad Bunny raised eyebrows at the New York Yankees game Tuesday night … choosing not to stand during the singing of “God Bless America.”♬ original sound – TMZ
That’ll definitely add fuel to the fire that is the controversy that’s surrounded the NFL choosing Bad Bunny as their halftime entertainer for the league’s biggest game of the year.
And to lighten things up a bit… it’s a real travesty if Bad Bunny didn’t stand for the 7th inning stretch at all. Standing up, swaying, and singing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” is one of the best parts about going to live baseball games. And Bad Bunny willingly skipped out on that tradition?
Not a great look for the future Super Bowl performer….
