If you’re planning to watch the Super Bowl, you don’t have to watch the halftime show that the NFL has planned, there may be an alternative. The Super Bowl, featuring the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks will be played on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the 49ers. The game will be broadcast on NBC, featuring Mike Torico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth, with the kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CST.
The NFL has invited Puerto Rican rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known by the stage name Bad Bunny. It has been reported that he has decided to use the opportunity not to entertain, but to honor “queer icons.” Radar reported last week the rapper’s performance will also see him pay homage to “generations of drag, resistance, and cultural rebellion.”
The online news and entertainment site also relayed comments by those close to the artist about the upcoming show.
“He loves controversy. He lives to push envelopes,” one stylist said. “He is 100 percent going to wear a dress. A political thunderbolt disguised as couture.”
“He’s not playing it safe,” another source said. “The NFL has no idea what’s coming. Zero.”
What would have been considered strange or shocking 20 years ago has now become a normal manner of behavior. He isn’t railing against the establishment or taking a risk. He’s just trying to irritate the conservative portion of the NFL audience; an audience whose voice and opinions have been pushed aside and labeled “hate speech.”
If Bad Bunny’s planned performance is not your thing, and I’m pretty sure if you’re a reader of the Tulsa Beacon, it’s probably not. Many pundits are suggesting you boycott the NFL halftime show by taking a potty break or refilling your plate of food during halftime.
However, there is an alternative program to watch during halftime.
The All-American Halftime Show, hosted by Turning Point USA, which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk. This alternative halftime show aims to provide a family-friendly and faith-based experience during Super Bowl LX.
The event is expected to feature various musical genres, including Americana, classic rock, country, hip-hop, and worship music. Specific performers and further details, however, have not been announced. On the organization’s website, there is still just a ballot form for visitors to vote on the type of acts they would like to see, and it states, “more info and musical artists to be announced.” Hopefully, between now and Feb. 8 they will share updated information and the details on how to watch the event.
A second alternative halftime program was announced by Christian artist Cory Asbury in October, even before Turning Point USA decided to host one. Asbury dubbed his halftime show “Jesus Bowl ’26.” However, in the months since, there has been pushback from several sides claiming he and other Christian artists were just trying to gain fame from this and wanting to compete with Turning Point USA. Asbury took to social media to try to clear the air after he and collaborator Forrest Frank decided to postpone his event.
“What started as a dream to lift the name of Jesus during one of the biggest moments of the year began to devolve into something else, something distracting,” Asbury said. “After much prayer, we’ve decided not to move forward with it in its current form. Not forever, just not now.
“This dream was never about rivalry,” he continued. “It’s not us vs Bad Bunny. It’s not us vs Turning Point USA. It’s not about politics, parties or proving a point. The heart was never competition, just worship. We want whatever we do next to be pure and solely focused on Jesus, not on headlines, not on hype. We do believe there is something great to come in the spirit of what we were dreaming up, but sense there is a different expression God has in mind.”
I’m for one disappointed that Asbury has decided not to go through with his idea; it certainly would have been the one I would have watched at halftime. Now, I hope the Turning Point USA folks get their show details in order that they make it easy to access.
If not, I’ll be visiting the bathroom and refilling my bowl with tortilla soup at halftime.
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week, my guest will be Barry Simon, campus pastor at The Assembly at Broken Arrow. He will share a story of how his father was tragically killed in a church shooting. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.