Donald Trump, it’s truthful to think, might be switching channels all through this yr’s Tremendous Bowl halftime display.
The U.S. president has already stated that he gained’t be attending Tremendous Bowl LX in individual, suggesting that the venue, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, used to be “just too far away.” However the number of superstar leisure deliberate for the primary spoil – Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Unhealthy Bunny and lately introduced pregame addition Inexperienced Day – didn’t attraction. “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump informed the New York Put up.
Nationwide Soccer League Commissioner Roger Goodell most probably didn’t have the sensibilities of the U.S. president in thoughts when the number of Unhealthy Bunny used to be made.
One of the most most sensible artists on the planet, Unhealthy Bunny plays basically in Spanish and has been crucial of immigration enforcement, which factored into the backlash in some conservative circles to the selection. Unhealthy Bunny’s anti-ICE feedback at this yr’s Grammy Awards could have simplest stoked the ire of a few conservatives.
However for the NFL hierarchy, this used to be most probably a trade resolution, now not a political one. The league has its eyes on growth into Latin The united states; Unhealthy Bunny, they hope, might be a ratings-winning approach to an finish. It has made such bets up to now. In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez have been selected to accomplish, with Unhealthy Bunny making an look. The selection then, too, used to be noticed as arguable.
Shakira and Unhealthy Bunny carry out all through the Pepsi Tremendous Bowl LIV Halftime Display on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Fla.
Al Bello/Getty Photographs
Elevating the flag in a foreign country
As a instructor and student of crucial sports activities research, I learn about the worldwide enlargement of U.S.-based sports activities leagues in a foreign country.
Some, just like the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation, are better off. The game is performed world wide and has huge reinforce bases in Asia – particularly within the Philippines and China – in addition to in Europe, Australia and Canada.
The NFL, in contrast, is in large part coming into markets that experience relatively little wisdom and enjoy with soccer and its avid gamers.
The league has opted for a multiprong strategy to attracting world enthusiasts, together with lobbying to get flag soccer into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Enjoying the sphere
With regards to the standard take on sport, the NFL has held international aspirations for over three-quarters of a century. Between 1950-1961, prior to they merged, the NFL and American Soccer League performed seven video games in opposition to groups in Canada’s CFL to make stronger the connection between the 2 countries’ leagues.
Creating a fan base south of the border has lengthy been a part of the plan.
The primary world exhibition sport between two NFL groups used to be meant to happen in Mexico Town in 1968. However Mexican protest over the financial system and price of staging the Olympics that yr led the sport, between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, to be canceled.
As a substitute, it used to be Montreal that staged the primary world exhibition fit the next yr.
In 1986, the NFL added an annual world preseason sport, the “American Bowl,” to succeed in world enthusiasts, together with a number of video games in Mexico Town and one in Monterrey.
However the extra concerted effort used to be to develop soccer within the doubtlessly profitable, and acquainted, Eu marketplace.
After a number of makes an attempt via the NFL and different entities within the Seventies and ’80s to ascertain a world soccer league, the NFL-backed International League of Soccer introduced in 1991. That includes six groups from the USA, one from Canada and 3 from Europe, the spring league misplaced cash however equipped proof that there used to be a marketplace for American soccer in Europe, resulting in the established order of NFL Europe.
However NFL bosses have lengthy had wider ambitions. The league staged 13 video games in Tokyo, starting in 1976, and deliberate exhibitions for 2007 and 2009 in China that have been in the end canceled. Those makes an attempt didn’t have the similar luck as in Europe.
Past exhibitions
The NFL’s outreach in Latin The united states has been many years within the making. After six exhibition suits in Mexico between 1978 and 2001, the NFL selected Mexico Town because the venue of its first steady season sport out of doors the USA.
In 2005, it pitted the Arizona Cardinals in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico Town. Advertised as “Fútbol Americano,” it drew the biggest attendance in NFL historical past, with over 103,000 spectators.
The Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico Town in 2005.
Robert Laberge/Getty Photographs
The next yr, Goodell used to be named commissioner and introduced that the NFL would center of attention long term world efforts on regular-season video games.
The U.Okay. used to be a protected wager because of the established stadium infrastructure and the rustic’s small however passionate fan base. The NFL World Collection used to be performed completely in London between 2007 and 2016.
However in 2016, the NFL in any case returned to Mexico Town, staging a regular-season sport between the Oakland – now Las Vegas – Raiders and Houston Texans.
And after the of completion of upgrades to Latin The united states’s biggest stadium, Estadio Azteca, the NFL will go back to Mexico Town in 2026, along side video games in Munich, Berlin and London. Long term plans come with increasing the collection to incorporate Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2026.
The World Participant Pathway program additionally gives avid gamers from out of doors the USA a possibility to coach and earn a roster spot on an NFL staff. The hope is that long term Latin American avid gamers may just lend a hand enlarge the game of their house nations, very similar to how Yao Ming expanded the NBA fan base in China after becoming a member of the Houston Rockets, and Shohei Ohtani did the similar for baseball in Japan whilst enjoying in Los Angeles.
Heading south of the border
The NFL’s technique has received the league a foothold in Latin The united states.
Mexico and Brazil have turn into the 2 biggest world markets for the NFL, with just about 40 million enthusiasts in each and every of the countries.
Despite the fact that this represents a fragment of the total sports activities enthusiasts in each and every country, the uncooked numbers fit the total Latino fan base in the USA. Lately the NFL has celebrated Latino Heritage Month thru its Por Los angeles Cultura marketing campaign, highlighting Latino avid gamers previous and provide.
Latin The united states additionally gives sensible benefits. Mexico has lengthy had get right of entry to to NFL video games because the southern neighbor to the USA, with the Dallas Cowboys amongst the most well liked groups in Mexico.
For broadcasters, Central and South The united states be offering much less disruption with reference to time zones. Video games in Europe get started as early as 6:30 a.m. for West Coast enthusiasts, while Mexico Town follows Central time, and Brasilia time is just one to 2 hours forward of Jap time.
Unhealthy Bunny poses with the Album of the 12 months, Perfect Música Urbana Album and Perfect International Track Efficiency awards all through the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Photographs for The Recording Academy
The NFL’s growth plans don’t seem to be with out complaint. Locally, enthusiasts have complained that groups enjoying out of doors the U.S. borders approach one much less house sport for season-ticket holders. And a few groups have embraced world video games greater than others.
Every other complaint is the league, which has reported revenues of over US$23 billion all through the 2024-25 season – just about double some other U.S.-based league – is the usage of its assets to displace native sports activities. There also are those that see growth of the league as a type of cultural imperialism. Those criticisms continuously intersect with long-held concepts across the league selling militarism, nationalism and American exceptionalism.
Unhealthy Bunny: No Hail Mary strive
Needless to say, the number of Unhealthy Bunny because the halftime select is arguable, given the present political local weather round immigration. The artist got rid of excursion dates at the U.S. mainland in 2025 because of considerations about ICE concentrated on enthusiasts at his live shows, a priority strengthened via threats from the Division of Place of birth Safety that they might do exactly that on the Tremendous Bowl.
However in sticking with Unhealthy Bunny, the NFL is appearing it’s keen to stand down a piece of its conventional reinforce and wager as an alternative on Latin American enthusiasts now not simply tuning in for the halftime display however for the entire sport – and falling in love with soccer, too.
