The League That Outgrew Its Fans
Standing before the media last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looked as polished as ever while assuring reporters that the NFL wouldn’t reconsider its choice of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show.
Goodell called this situation “a uniting moment.” Ah, sure, but uniting who, exactly?
Certainly not the millions of fans spanning generations who have stuck with pro football through political controversies, inflated ticket prices, and anthem debates.
The commissioner sounded more like a brand ambassador than the steward of America’s game.
There’s tone deaf; then there’s whatever the NFL is doing. Looking at the people who made the NFL what it is — truck drivers, factory workers, military families, and suburban dads throwing footballs in frozen backyards — the league sent a simple and quite clear message: Your loyalty is expendable.
The Disney Factor
It seems as though a corporate parent is standing behind the NFL, whispering instructions whenever a bold decision is required. ESPN is arguably the league’s most visible media partner, owned by a company that’s perpetually obsessed with what they call “global appeal,” a strategy Disney has used as code for diluting American culture into something marketable in every time zone.
So when the NFL insists that there wasn’t anything political behind choosing Bad Bunny for its headline act, it’s being disingenuous at best.
Choices like Bad Bunny check all the boxes of Disney’s corporate agenda: international recognition, bilingual crossover potential, and a glossy “inclusive” veneer. Over the past couple of decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has become less about celebrating American football and more about satisfying Disney’s quarterly diversity report.
We can’t forget that Bad Bunny, by design, hasn’t performed in the U.S. mainland in years, yet he’s headlining what used to be America’s largest unifying television event. Hold a glass up to the door. You can hear the Disney marketing team applauding in the boardroom, congratulating themselves on yet another milestone, while the domestic audience sits back, quietly wondering why their culture keeps being treated like a liability.
When the Base Stops Feeling Seen
The average NFL fan isn’t anti-music or anti-Spanish; they’re anti-being ignored. These are the same people who sat through decades of halftime shows that mixed musical styles yet still felt American at heart. Whether it was Tom Petty, Prince, or Shania Twain, those performances reflected our country’s diversity without alienating the core.
Today, however, halftime shows feel like they’re programmed for someone else entirely: that nameless, international viewer who might stream highlights on YouTube but has never seen a tailgate in their life.
The decision by the NFL reeks of short-term brand calculus: Alienate your base so you can chase those hypothetical growth markets.
And for what? Any ratings bump from overseas doesn’t outweigh the loss of authenticity at home. Americans can be a stubborn bunch. Even die-hard fans are beginning to feel like strangers at their own party, leaving them to wonder if they’re even the target audience anymore.
Corporate Courage Without Consequence
Goodell girded up his loins and admitted the league expected criticism, showing not courage, but pre-emptive damage control. When you know the press corps won’t hold you accountable, it’s easy to expect criticism, but it’s far easier to hold out when your broadcast partners share your worldview.
This is what happens when institutions stop listening to the people who built them. It’s the same arrogance Hollywood showed before audiences abandoned the Oscars. It’s the same tone-deafness that tanked Bud Light’s brand loyalty.
The NFL decided that pandering to algorithms and making the C-Suite happy is more important than honoring the culture of football.
When we hear the commissioner say the league is “proud” of the decision, what he’s really saying is, “We’re too invested to admit that it might be a mistake.”
It’s the same pride that shows how corporations lose touch with their own customers, and how something as American as the Super Bowl turns into a sanitized global product.
What the League Could Have Done
What the NFL’s pride hid was that there was definitely a middle ground here, and it wasn’t complicated. Pair Bad Bunny with an American artist whose music reflects the sports spirit. Show the country that inclusivity doesn’t mean exclusion; give everyone a reason to sing, not argue.
Instead, the NFL decided to double down, proclaiming that the halftime act isn’t just entertainment anymore, but a statement piece designed to please shareholders, Disney board members, and marketing consultants who never cheered through a snow-covered and freezing game in Green Bay or Buffalo.
The NFL used to sell unity through competition; now it’s selling branding through compliance.
The Shrinking Soul of the Super Bowl
What’s sad and ironic is that the Super Bowl has always been one of the few events that bring Americans together, regardless of whether they’re left or right, city or country, north or south. Everyone forgot politics and watched the game for four hours.
One thing that unity depends on is authenticity; when the halftime show feels like something imported from a corporate retreat, fans begin tuning out emotionally, even if they’re still watching on TV.
There was a time when the NFL stood apart from the culture wars; there was no need to pander because the sport already had the nation’s attention. Now, it is feeling desperate to remain relevant in rooms it never belonged in.
That desperation isn’t progress.
It’s surrender.
Final Thoughts
The NFL keeps saying it wants to expand its reach; maybe it should first look at the hands that built the stadiums, the veterans standing during the anthem, and the families spending paychecks on team gear.
Sundays became sacred because of those fans, so there’s no need for a lecture on unity from a commissioner measuring success in demographics and buzzwords.
You dance with who brung ‘ya. When you forget who you’re trying to impress, you begin performing for strangers. The NFL’s choice for its halftime act isn’t just tone-deaf; it’s symbolic of an institution that’s far outgrown its own reflection.
Exclusively for PJ Media VIPs: while the league pats itself on the back for “progress,” we’re here reminding it who filled the stands and bought the jerseys. The cultural elites want your traditions rewritten. We’re not letting them.
Join PJ Media’s VIP community for the coverage the legacy press won’t touch.
Use promo code FIGHT to save 74% and keep the lights on for real journalism that still remembers which end of the chicken lays the truth.
