The NFL’s decision to tap Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show is aimed at global expansion, not the league’s core audience, Sage Steele told Newsmax on Tuesday, and she’s not convinced fans want it.
“Based on the current demographics of the National Football League and what they have been for years, we men, women, mothers don’t want to see someone like this,” the former ESPN anchor told “Finnerty.”
Steele said fans “don’t want to see someone who chooses to dress up as a woman who happens to be a male, want to see somebody who has basically professed his hatred for this country — despite certainly taking a lot of American dollars — and saying he’ll never perform again in North America because of his thoughts on our immigration policy.
“Don’t forget who is in charge of booking these halftime guests. That is Roc Nation. That is Jay-Z,” she said.
The NFL announced last weekend that Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It will be his first time as the solo headliner after a guest turn in 2020 alongside Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
Steele framed the move as part of a plan to internationalize the NFL. She cited the league’s stepped-up overseas schedule and recent games in Ireland and Brazil.
The NFL this season added a first-ever regular-season game in Ireland at Croke Park and has scheduled multiple international dates across Europe this year.
She also criticized Bad Bunny’s politics and onstage persona while acknowledging the pick likely aligns with the NFL’s business goals. Earlier this month, Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio — reportedly said he won’t perform on the mainland U.S. in his upcoming world tour because of concerns his concerts could be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“For those of you who don’t know, take a look at Bad Bunny,” Steele said. “This isn’t just about us being cranky conservatives.
“This guy is demonic. There are some very disturbing things he is promoting.
“My 20-year-old kids have said, ‘Mom, I don’t even watch him anymore. So it’s disturbing, but I think it’s probably a good business decision based on their goals to expand,” she said.
Roc Nation has consulted with the league on halftime entertainment since 2019, when the NFL named Jay-Z, who is no fan of President Donald Trump, its “live music entertainment strategist.”
“This is no surprise if you do your homework on Roc Nation,” Steele said. “It’s just disappointing to me overall as a fan because Americans are the ones that made this sport as big as it is, by the way.
“And these other countries, they don’t even care about American football. They actually don’t.
“What do they care about? Football. They care about soccer,” she said.
“But it’s just like the NBA with China. There’s so many politics involved in that.
“We can go so deep on it and people who claim to love America. And you look at the LeBrons [James] and the Stephen Currys, but what do they do in their offseasons?” Steele asked.
“They go to China. They ignore the horrific things that go on in some of these countries because of the almighty dollar.”
Bad Bunny, a three-time Grammy Award winner from Puerto Rico and one of streaming’s most played artists, has drawn praise and backlash since the announcement. The debate echoes recent culture-war flare-ups over Super Bowl halftime selections.
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