Imho, the show was a winner! This old white woman hasn’t understood the lyrics to halftime shows for a long time, but I loved the showmanship and the decor. I enjoyed the whole thing. There was a trumper in our midst who said she was going to her apartment during halftime. She stayed through the whole show, and didn’t find anything objectionable except she wanted English subtitles.
I thought it was pretty good, too. He made his statement with perfect subtlety, and really pissed off Trump by not singing in English. I guess the brain dead orange pus has never been to a restaurant with mariachi singers, lol.
“There aren’t a lot of things this white American enjoys more than discovering a new neighborhood in a big city full of immigrants. The smells of the wonderful food in the air are alone enough for me not want to see the day to end.”
OMG yes, a neighbourhood with the smells of all the different ethnic foods. Just walking around. Checking things out. The food. That would be my happy place. Happy.
“The NFL is calling the halftime show The All American Halftime Show to help educate those who are not aware that Puerto Rico is part of the United States.”
I’m so embarrassed for them.
Although, I’m also embarrassed not to have known about Bad Bunny before. I thought it was someone dressed as a Bunny. I don’t get out much. But a grown man calling himself Bad Bunny? Come on! Can’t get my head around that one. But talent and success come in all forms. Who’s to judge?
I'm not a Bunny expert but I know a little about him. He's huge in the Latino community. His last tour was all Puerto Rico I think. If I'm wrong, I know it didn't include any U.S venues because he was concerned they'd become ICE magnets.
accidentally stumbled upon Grammy Award conclusion, stayed out of curiosity to see why they have their undies in a bunch about this objectionable "Bad Bunny"...they gotta also hate him because he has incredible stage presence and charisma...kinda everything Kid Rock doesnt have🤣
I appreciated and enjoyed the halftime show tremendously.
It was a win and a feel good event after so much recent heartache and continued work towards ending the regime and (ideally) building back stronger.
I hope what is happening at the NFL is real change, however incremental. The halftime show surely gets lots of eyes and has succeeded in drawing attention to the beauty and diversity of art.
[now where we insert ‘that being said’]
Because I feel jaded, I also find it hard to let go of how Colin Kapaepernick was treated . I find it difficult to see that so many minorities are working so hard, under brutal conditions, for their “Hoop Dreams” (different sport, same sentiment). I find the lack of diversity in those that make the big money from the players, fans, etc, disheartening and endemic.
[here is where I insert the hopeful part]
If I’ve learned anything from the past year or so, it’s that two things can be true at once.
Many of us in the ‘resistance’ are learning the need for a big tent. If Bad Bunny can find it in his heart to proclaim love is stronger than hate, and let the NFL join us under this tent, then who am I? I am just hoping that our tent-mates do not turn on us later. But we’ll only find out if our tent is allowed to exist.
Thanks. He was fantastic. He got his message across, too, I felt. He led by example. Love > Hate. Beautiful show. And whoever did the acoustics deserves a shout-out, too, because, often, the acoustics are pretty terrible for these halftime shows.
I think the NFL is changing because some of the executives are changing. Case in point, the team I root for, the Chicago Bears. For years, they could have signed Kaepernick. Instead, we fans suffered through years of terrible quarterbacking. All because the guy took a knee.
But nowadays, the team is run by two Black dudes: Ryan Poles, who is the GM, and Kevin Warren, the President and CEO. Their QB is a young Black kid who makes my jaw drop when I watch him play.
It’s slow progress. But it’s progress. It’s progress when you see, “Stop Racism” on the back of helmets, and it’s progress when a Puerto Rican singer celebrates his culture in Spanish.
It leaves Team Predator in a rage, too, which makes it all even better.
I also appreciate the education, as my lack of football awareness is evident. I honestly don’t know where Mr Kaepernick is these days. And the reason I even know about the score of this years game is because of a fabulous young singer named Bad Bunny.
The idea that love will change the world and change is incremental has been around since the times of Jesus. Or so I hear, as I am not Christian nor have I read the Gospel. At least not in Ancient Greek , just in plain English. Or MLK Jr. Or Gandhi (whom I maybe know a bit more about than football. I am a brown woman and was constantly reminded of his brave example in the face of that little experience ‘my people’ had with the British. ) So glad Gandhi taught us to turn the other cheek and finally rid ourselves of that pesky little problem called colonialism while I was growing up in a country where the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were the ideal of beauty. There was a documentary recently done on how they are trying to diversify their image. The documentary enraged Team predator as well. Crying libs like me always are such a downer at a good party. I mean, those DEI initiatives lasted a good decade or so, but again, forgive me as I am not a historian.
You must also forgive me for being cynical these days and leaving overly pessimistic replies on thoughtful forums like Substack. I do not have the audience of Bad Bunny, who used his brave voice to showcase love (he also had to wear a bullet proof vest, but who doesn’t these days?). I have to settle for leaving overly long comments for free to express my sadness for the state of our nation.
I do have the link to an article by someone who was indeed an excellent athlete and is also a historian that writes here on Substack and Medium. He’s a black man, after all, like the CEOs of the Bears. And he likely knows a heck of a lot more than I about what it means that Bad Bunny was able to sing a half time show in Spanish (!) . Where people wore such powerful slogans like “Stop Racism” on their helmets. Helmets which are being improved everyday to protect young quarterbacks from the CTEs that many in my problematic large tent used to defame the NFL.
The excellent Mr Spivey, whom you have also praised in your work, dropped this article on the day of the glorious half time show where Bad Bunny showcased how the Arc of Justice is long and bends towards morality. A quote attributed to another great hero who led by example (much the way he died).
PS, the example I enjoy following these days is that of my dark skinned son who continues to peacefully protest ICE. He may graduate Yale and have a shot at , well, growing up to not get shot. Mr Spivey understood as much when he graciously thanked me for my comment in his story on Trevon Martin (or at least one of his stories). He didn’t need to educate me on the validity of my comment, or bring my awareness up to speed because , well, my son grew up 15 miles from where Trayvon was shot.
Again, forgive me (like the persecuted martyr much of MAGA ignorantly co-ops) for my cynicism and difficulty understanding how much progress the NFL has made since the times of Mr Kaepernick’s lived experience. And as for the big tent? I’ve been living under it for a long time.
No forgiveness required, I understand. You're right to not trust the NFL's motives. It's a white oligarchal playground. I doubt I'd be a fan if I hadn't played football in high school, but it got into my blood, and that was that. I was glad when Ryan Poles was hired. That was a big, "It's about time" kind of moment, of which all of sports needs a lot more of before we can claim true progress.
Football also saved me to some extent, because during the summer between middle school and freshman year, I got bullied. Nothing serious, but enough to make me want to do something about it. I was very skinny, and an easy mark. When I joined the football team, it all changed. Playing the sport at that young age also gave me some other life lessons I might not have had otherwise.
I underestimated the Obama backlash. When he was elected, my eyes squirted a bit. It seemed such a joyous moment. I thought that finally, maybe, just maybe, the nation had matured. Racism among white people is something I've never understood, even though I grew up with it with my parents. I had raging arguments with them. It was beyond my understanding, and still is. When I look at my white, blotchy skin, I often ask, "what is the fascination?" I'd love to have beautiful brown skin! Gimme some of that! Thinking there is any superiority based on white blotchy skin seems like a sickness to me.
In my alternative history novel, Restive Souls, slaves are emancipated in 1778, and a Black majority nation is created in the Carolina Low Country (which was majority Black at that time). White people are referred to in the early stages of the novel as the people of the bloodless skin.
Needless to say, this has not been an easy sell to publishing houses.
Thanks for the comment, and good luck to your son (and you, of course). Yale would have kicked my ass at that age, lol. I had nowhere near the academic discipline for such an endeavor, so you already have much to be proud of.
I appreciate your thoughtful comment. And I must admit I have been struggling more than usual with this almost existential depression and it manifests as anger.
You are a skilled writer . And a compassionate person. At least it’s evident in your writing. And an amazing author that uses your voice to champion the underdog.
I am simply exhausted. My son will likely graduate at the top of his class at Yale, and yet the world continues to seem bleak . Where is the path for this nation I felt so proud of? I am looking to my local friends and neighbors to build real community and connections. But when we cannot even agree on what entails fact, where do we go?
I worry that love over hate is weaponized by using it as a justification for inaction. Of course that doesn’t discount its value.
Worry not, kind author…I am in no danger of giving up the good fight. Thank you for being an ally.
Thank you for the compliment and your readership. You nailed it. If we can't agree on what is fact, what do we do? Still unanswered. Congrats to your son either way. Successive generations often find those elusive answers.
Imho, the show was a winner! This old white woman hasn’t understood the lyrics to halftime shows for a long time, but I loved the showmanship and the decor. I enjoyed the whole thing. There was a trumper in our midst who said she was going to her apartment during halftime. She stayed through the whole show, and didn’t find anything objectionable except she wanted English subtitles.
I thought it was pretty good, too. He made his statement with perfect subtlety, and really pissed off Trump by not singing in English. I guess the brain dead orange pus has never been to a restaurant with mariachi singers, lol.
Can you imagine that? “Hey! Sing in English!!!”
And I always enjoy Lady Gaga.
“There aren’t a lot of things this white American enjoys more than discovering a new neighborhood in a big city full of immigrants. The smells of the wonderful food in the air are alone enough for me not want to see the day to end.”
OMG yes, a neighbourhood with the smells of all the different ethnic foods. Just walking around. Checking things out. The food. That would be my happy place. Happy.
“The NFL is calling the halftime show The All American Halftime Show to help educate those who are not aware that Puerto Rico is part of the United States.”
I’m so embarrassed for them.
Although, I’m also embarrassed not to have known about Bad Bunny before. I thought it was someone dressed as a Bunny. I don’t get out much. But a grown man calling himself Bad Bunny? Come on! Can’t get my head around that one. But talent and success come in all forms. Who’s to judge?
I enjoyed the article.
I'm not a Bunny expert but I know a little about him. He's huge in the Latino community. His last tour was all Puerto Rico I think. If I'm wrong, I know it didn't include any U.S venues because he was concerned they'd become ICE magnets.
I’ve learned more about him as a human. He is an impressive human being.
He made his statement with a lot of class. Well done!
accidentally stumbled upon Grammy Award conclusion, stayed out of curiosity to see why they have their undies in a bunch about this objectionable "Bad Bunny"...they gotta also hate him because he has incredible stage presence and charisma...kinda everything Kid Rock doesnt have🤣
Amen!!!!!
I appreciated and enjoyed the halftime show tremendously.
It was a win and a feel good event after so much recent heartache and continued work towards ending the regime and (ideally) building back stronger.
I hope what is happening at the NFL is real change, however incremental. The halftime show surely gets lots of eyes and has succeeded in drawing attention to the beauty and diversity of art.
[now where we insert ‘that being said’]
Because I feel jaded, I also find it hard to let go of how Colin Kapaepernick was treated . I find it difficult to see that so many minorities are working so hard, under brutal conditions, for their “Hoop Dreams” (different sport, same sentiment). I find the lack of diversity in those that make the big money from the players, fans, etc, disheartening and endemic.
[here is where I insert the hopeful part]
If I’ve learned anything from the past year or so, it’s that two things can be true at once.
Many of us in the ‘resistance’ are learning the need for a big tent. If Bad Bunny can find it in his heart to proclaim love is stronger than hate, and let the NFL join us under this tent, then who am I? I am just hoping that our tent-mates do not turn on us later. But we’ll only find out if our tent is allowed to exist.
✊🏾✊🏼✊🏿✊🏽
Thanks. He was fantastic. He got his message across, too, I felt. He led by example. Love > Hate. Beautiful show. And whoever did the acoustics deserves a shout-out, too, because, often, the acoustics are pretty terrible for these halftime shows.
I think the NFL is changing because some of the executives are changing. Case in point, the team I root for, the Chicago Bears. For years, they could have signed Kaepernick. Instead, we fans suffered through years of terrible quarterbacking. All because the guy took a knee.
But nowadays, the team is run by two Black dudes: Ryan Poles, who is the GM, and Kevin Warren, the President and CEO. Their QB is a young Black kid who makes my jaw drop when I watch him play.
It’s slow progress. But it’s progress. It’s progress when you see, “Stop Racism” on the back of helmets, and it’s progress when a Puerto Rican singer celebrates his culture in Spanish.
It leaves Team Predator in a rage, too, which makes it all even better.
Yep, it’s nice to have a feel good story.
Thanks for the comment! :-)
I also appreciate the education, as my lack of football awareness is evident. I honestly don’t know where Mr Kaepernick is these days. And the reason I even know about the score of this years game is because of a fabulous young singer named Bad Bunny.
The idea that love will change the world and change is incremental has been around since the times of Jesus. Or so I hear, as I am not Christian nor have I read the Gospel. At least not in Ancient Greek , just in plain English. Or MLK Jr. Or Gandhi (whom I maybe know a bit more about than football. I am a brown woman and was constantly reminded of his brave example in the face of that little experience ‘my people’ had with the British. ) So glad Gandhi taught us to turn the other cheek and finally rid ourselves of that pesky little problem called colonialism while I was growing up in a country where the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were the ideal of beauty. There was a documentary recently done on how they are trying to diversify their image. The documentary enraged Team predator as well. Crying libs like me always are such a downer at a good party. I mean, those DEI initiatives lasted a good decade or so, but again, forgive me as I am not a historian.
You must also forgive me for being cynical these days and leaving overly pessimistic replies on thoughtful forums like Substack. I do not have the audience of Bad Bunny, who used his brave voice to showcase love (he also had to wear a bullet proof vest, but who doesn’t these days?). I have to settle for leaving overly long comments for free to express my sadness for the state of our nation.
I do have the link to an article by someone who was indeed an excellent athlete and is also a historian that writes here on Substack and Medium. He’s a black man, after all, like the CEOs of the Bears. And he likely knows a heck of a lot more than I about what it means that Bad Bunny was able to sing a half time show in Spanish (!) . Where people wore such powerful slogans like “Stop Racism” on their helmets. Helmets which are being improved everyday to protect young quarterbacks from the CTEs that many in my problematic large tent used to defame the NFL.
The excellent Mr Spivey, whom you have also praised in your work, dropped this article on the day of the glorious half time show where Bad Bunny showcased how the Arc of Justice is long and bends towards morality. A quote attributed to another great hero who led by example (much the way he died).
https://open.substack.com/pub/williamspivey/p/who-was-the-biggest-super-bowl-loser?r=9q7i4&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
PS, the example I enjoy following these days is that of my dark skinned son who continues to peacefully protest ICE. He may graduate Yale and have a shot at , well, growing up to not get shot. Mr Spivey understood as much when he graciously thanked me for my comment in his story on Trevon Martin (or at least one of his stories). He didn’t need to educate me on the validity of my comment, or bring my awareness up to speed because , well, my son grew up 15 miles from where Trayvon was shot.
Again, forgive me (like the persecuted martyr much of MAGA ignorantly co-ops) for my cynicism and difficulty understanding how much progress the NFL has made since the times of Mr Kaepernick’s lived experience. And as for the big tent? I’ve been living under it for a long time.
No forgiveness required, I understand. You're right to not trust the NFL's motives. It's a white oligarchal playground. I doubt I'd be a fan if I hadn't played football in high school, but it got into my blood, and that was that. I was glad when Ryan Poles was hired. That was a big, "It's about time" kind of moment, of which all of sports needs a lot more of before we can claim true progress.
Football also saved me to some extent, because during the summer between middle school and freshman year, I got bullied. Nothing serious, but enough to make me want to do something about it. I was very skinny, and an easy mark. When I joined the football team, it all changed. Playing the sport at that young age also gave me some other life lessons I might not have had otherwise.
I underestimated the Obama backlash. When he was elected, my eyes squirted a bit. It seemed such a joyous moment. I thought that finally, maybe, just maybe, the nation had matured. Racism among white people is something I've never understood, even though I grew up with it with my parents. I had raging arguments with them. It was beyond my understanding, and still is. When I look at my white, blotchy skin, I often ask, "what is the fascination?" I'd love to have beautiful brown skin! Gimme some of that! Thinking there is any superiority based on white blotchy skin seems like a sickness to me.
In my alternative history novel, Restive Souls, slaves are emancipated in 1778, and a Black majority nation is created in the Carolina Low Country (which was majority Black at that time). White people are referred to in the early stages of the novel as the people of the bloodless skin.
Needless to say, this has not been an easy sell to publishing houses.
Thanks for the comment, and good luck to your son (and you, of course). Yale would have kicked my ass at that age, lol. I had nowhere near the academic discipline for such an endeavor, so you already have much to be proud of.
I appreciate your thoughtful comment. And I must admit I have been struggling more than usual with this almost existential depression and it manifests as anger.
You are a skilled writer . And a compassionate person. At least it’s evident in your writing. And an amazing author that uses your voice to champion the underdog.
I am simply exhausted. My son will likely graduate at the top of his class at Yale, and yet the world continues to seem bleak . Where is the path for this nation I felt so proud of? I am looking to my local friends and neighbors to build real community and connections. But when we cannot even agree on what entails fact, where do we go?
I worry that love over hate is weaponized by using it as a justification for inaction. Of course that doesn’t discount its value.
Worry not, kind author…I am in no danger of giving up the good fight. Thank you for being an ally.
Thank you for the compliment and your readership. You nailed it. If we can't agree on what is fact, what do we do? Still unanswered. Congrats to your son either way. Successive generations often find those elusive answers.