On Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, millions of Americans switched streaming platforms during the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show to support a different performer: Robert James Ritchie.
Ritchie, commonly known as “Kid Rock”, received nearly four million live viewers across YouTube and Rumble platforms. As a prominent Trump ally, he has increasingly used his platform to amplify conservative talking points, positioning himself as a strong advocate for Republican issues.
The performance consisted of high-energy patriotic visuals, during which Ritchie performed a multitude of popular country hits and the Star-Spangled Banner. At the end of the thirty-minute show, a tribute to Charlie Kirk was displayed, highlighting photos and videos of the late Turning Point founder.
Sophomore Maeli Sanchez Carmona highlighted some aspects of the show that she found peculiar. “I think it was extremely disrespectful, and it shouldn’t have been made,” Sanchez Carmona said. “I don’t think there was ever a time that this has happened before, but obviously, when it’s a Hispanic singer who is against ICE and Trump, they come up with the idea to do it.”
What goes unspoken, however, is that many of these individuals tuned in to watch the All-American Half Time Show because they deemed Bad Bunny, the scheduled performer, a contradiction to the ‘inherent values’ of the American sport.
Undoubtedly, this alternative halftime show was fueled by racial tensions and was designed to go against Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (stage name Bad Bunny), an American citizen born and raised in Puerto Rico.
However, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory whose residents have held American citizenship since 1917, which makes claims of his being an ‘un-American foreigner’ not only factually wrong, but transparently motivated by reasons other than legal status.
Prejudice and plain bigotry have been on the rise throughout the United States; this event stands as a stark testament to that reality.
Headlining Ritchie in place of Ocasio, a primarily Spanish-speaking artist, represents the forefront of racial discrimination. This form of media not only degraded Ocasio’s work and status as a performer but also patronized him and his reputation.
Ritchie’s political rhetoric and alternative performance reflected poorly on the reputation of the Super Bowl, reducing a celebration of American culture to merely a vehicle for exclusion.
But what truly makes an individual worthy of the title to perform at an event as monumental as the Super Bowl? If the answer is talent, emotional reach and the ability to reflect the full breadth of American identity, Ocasio’s reputation as a six-time Grammy-award-winner objectively upholds these standards.
But if the answer is by portraying the physical traits of a “typical American citizen”, the question was never really about football to begin with.
Zachary Marotta, a Pleasant Valley High School teacher and 2026 Super Bowl attendee, weighed in on the value of Bad Bunny’s performance. “I enjoyed the performance. It must have taken a lot of work to put it together,” Marotta said. “I think the performance by Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl represents the culture, history and backgrounds of some of the people of the United States.”
In the final moments of his performance, Ocasio left the Super Bowl stage with a final message in English: “The only thing stronger than hate is love.”
Sanchez Carmona emphasized the necessity of his final statement despite the ongoing disputes about his performance. “The point of his halftime show was to show how we are all united. It doesn’t matter what race or nationality you are; we are all human,” she said. “I’m so glad that he is using his platform to make an impact on society and the horrible events that have been occurring in the U.S.”
The prevalence of discrimination against different cultures has become disturbingly ordinary. The foundation of the United States rests heavily on immigrants and the cultures they represent; Ocasio’s performance offered a reflection of that legacy— one that Kid Rock failed to uphold.
