Donald Trump, it’s honest to imagine, shall be switching channels throughout this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl halftime present.
The U.S. president has already mentioned that he won’t be attending Super Bowl LX in person, suggesting that the venue, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was “simply too distant.” However the selection of superstar leisure deliberate for the principle break – Puerto Rican reggaeton star Unhealthy Bunny and lately introduced pregame addition Inexperienced Day – didn’t attraction. “I’m anti-them. I feel it’s a horrible selection. All it does is sow hatred. Horrible,” Trump told the New York Post.
Nationwide Soccer League Commissioner Roger Goodell doubtless didn’t have the sensibilities of the U.S. president in thoughts when the selection of Unhealthy Bunny was made.
One of many prime artists on the earth, Unhealthy Bunny performs primarily in Spanish and has been essential of immigration enforcement, which factored into the backlash in some conservative circles to the selection. Unhealthy Bunny’s anti-ICE comments at this year’s Grammy Awards could have solely stoked the ire of some conservatives.
However for the NFL hierarchy, this was doubtless a enterprise resolution, not a political one. The league has its eyes on growth into Latin America; Unhealthy Bunny, they hope, shall be a ratings-winning means to an finish. It has made such bets prior to now. In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez have been chosen to carry out, with Unhealthy Bunny making an look. The selection then, too, was seen as controversial.
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Elevating the flag abroad
As a teacher and scholar of critical sports studies, I examine the worldwide development of U.S.-based sports activities leagues abroad.
Some, just like the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation, are better off. The game is performed across the globe and has large support bases in Asia – notably within the Philippines and China – in addition to in Europe, Australia and Canada.
The NFL, in contrast, is basically getting into markets which have comparatively little knowledge and experience with football and its players.
The league has opted for a multiprong strategy to attracting worldwide followers, together with lobbying to get flag football into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Taking part in the sphere
With regards to the standard deal with sport, the NFL has held global aspirations for over three-quarters of a century. Between 1950-1961, earlier than they merged, the NFL and American Soccer League performed seven video games in opposition to teams in Canada’s CFL to strengthen the connection between the 2 nations’ leagues.
Creating a fan base south of the border has lengthy been a part of the plan.
The primary worldwide exhibition sport between two NFL groups was supposed to take place in Mexico City in 1968. However Mexican protest over the economic system and price of staging the Olympics that 12 months led the sport, between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, to be canceled.
As a substitute, it was Montreal that staged the primary worldwide exhibition match the next 12 months.
In 1986, the NFL added an annual worldwide preseason sport, the “American Bowl,” to achieve worldwide followers, together with a number of video games in Mexico Metropolis and one in Monterrey.
However the extra concerted effort was to develop soccer within the doubtlessly profitable, and acquainted, European market.
After a number of makes an attempt by the NFL and different entities within the Seventies and ’80s to ascertain a world soccer league, the NFL-backed World League of Soccer launched in 1991. That includes six groups from america, one from Canada and three from Europe, the spring league misplaced cash however offered proof that there was a marketplace for American soccer in Europe, resulting in the institution 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 were ultimately canceled. These makes an attempt didn’t have the identical success as in Europe.
Past exhibitions
The NFL’s outreach in Latin America has been a long time within the making. After six exhibition matches in Mexico between 1978 and 2001, the NFL selected Mexico Metropolis because the venue of its first common season sport outdoors america.
In 2005, it pitted the Arizona Cardinals in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico Metropolis. Marketed as “Fútbol Americano,” it drew the most important attendance in NFL history, with over 103,000 spectators.
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The next 12 months, Goodell was named commissioner and introduced that the NFL would focus future worldwide efforts on regular-season video games.
The U.Ok. was a secure guess as a result of established stadium infrastructure and the nation’s small however passionate fan base. The NFL Worldwide Sequence was performed completely in London between 2007 and 2016.
However in 2016, the NFL lastly returned to Mexico Metropolis, staging a regular-season sport between the Oakland – now Las Vegas – Raiders and Houston Texans.
And after the completion of upgrades to Latin America’s largest stadium, Estadio Azteca, the NFL will return to Mexico City in 2026, together with video games in Munich, Berlin and London. Future plans embrace increasing the collection to incorporate Sydney, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2026.
The International Player Pathway program additionally presents gamers from outdoors america a chance to coach and earn a roster spot on an NFL staff. The hope is that future Latin American gamers may assist expand the sport in their home countries, much like how Yao Ming expanded the NBA fan base in China after becoming a member of the Houston Rockets, and Shohei Ohtani did the identical for baseball in Japan whereas taking part in in Los Angeles.
Heading south of the border
The NFL’s technique has gained the league a foothold in Latin America.
Mexico and Brazil have develop into the 2 largest worldwide markets for the NFL, with almost 40 million fans in each of the nations.
Though this represents a fraction of the general sports activities followers in every nation, the uncooked numbers match the general Latino fan base in the United States. In recent times the NFL has celebrated Latino Heritage Month by way of its Por La Cultura marketing campaign, highlighting Latino gamers previous and current.
Latin America additionally presents sensible benefits. Mexico has long had access to NFL games because the southern neighbor to america, with the Dallas Cowboys among the many hottest groups in Mexico.
For broadcasters, Central and South America supply much less disruption with regard to time zones. Video games in Europe start as early as 6:30 a.m. for West Coast followers, whereas Mexico Metropolis follows Central time, and Brasilia time is only one to two hours forward of Jap time.
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The NFL’s growth plans usually are not with out criticism. Domestically, fans have complained that teams playing outside the U.S. borders means one much less dwelling sport for season-ticket holders. And a few groups have embraced international games more than others.
One other criticism is the league, which has reported revenues of over US$23 billion during the 2024-25 season – almost double another U.S.-based league – is utilizing its sources to displace native sports activities. There are additionally those that see growth of the league as a form of cultural imperialism. These criticisms usually intersect with long-held concepts across the league promoting militarism, nationalism and American exceptionalism.
Unhealthy Bunny: No Hail Mary try
For positive, the selection of Unhealthy Bunny because the halftime decide is controversial, given the present political local weather round immigration. The artist eliminated tour dates on the U.S. mainland in 2025 as a consequence of issues about ICE targeting fans at his concerts, a priority bolstered by threats from the Division of Homeland Safety that they would do just that at the Super Bowl.
However in sticking with Unhealthy Bunny, the NFL is exhibiting it’s keen to face down a piece of its conventional assist and guess as an alternative on Latin American followers not simply tuning in for the halftime present however for the entire sport – and falling in love with soccer, too.