Staff Reports
The pressure on the NFL is real and growing, as conservative lawmakers have formally demanded answers over the Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime spectacle that aired on February 8, 2026. A Tennessee congressman has urged the House Energy and Commerce Committee to open a formal inquiry into what broadcasters and league executives knew and approved—putting the league squarely in the federal crosshairs.
Bad Bunny’s claimed headline slot at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8 made the halftime show one of the most-watched stages in America, and conservatives argue that primetime family programming must not be sacrificed at the altar of woke spectacle. The NFL and NBC had every opportunity to screen and temper material before millions of households tuned in, yet many viewers say what they saw was inappropriate for a national broadcast.
Rep. Andy Ogles didn’t mince words in his letter, calling the performance “pure smut” and asking whether internal review processes and broadcast delay protocols were “properly applied or intentionally disregarded.” His demand for accountability is not a fringe complaint — it’s a direct challenge to the cozy relationship between powerful entertainment gatekeepers and the league’s marketing machine.
Critics point to songs in Bad Bunny’s set like “Safaera” and “Yo Perreo Sola,” arguing those tracks’ original lyrics contain explicit sexual content and that the choice to include them in any form on America’s biggest family broadcast was reckless. While some reports note Bad Bunny did not sing the most graphic lines live, conservatives rightly ask whether mere suggestion and sexually charged choreography should pass for acceptable halftime entertainment.
Washington Post and other mainstream outlets downplayed the spectacle as milder than past controversies, but the media’s comfort with normalizing edgy performances doesn’t make it right for parents who expect a family-friendly halftime show. The fact that elites write dismissive think pieces while average Americans scramble to shield their children is exactly why elected officials must step in and pry open how these decisions are made.
This isn’t merely about one artist or one night — it’s about the standards that govern our airwaves and who gets to set them. Conservatives should demand not just apologies but concrete reforms: transparent review practices, enforceable broadcast standards during high-viewership events, and real consequences when those standards are ignored.
The NFL has long presented itself as the last safe harbor of American Sunday traditions, yet repeatedly lets corporate partners and celebrity activists dictate cultural norms to the detriment of families. If the league wants to remain the national pastime for hardworking Americans, it must choose to respect their values rather than pander to a vocal coastal elite.
Now is the time for grassroots action — call your representatives, demand investigations, and insist that the institutions we fund and regulate with our tax dollars answer for decisions that push sexualized content into living rooms across the country. The American public deserves broadcasters and leagues that put decency and common sense ahead of trend-chasing and virtue-signaling.
