A major annual spectator sport event, the Super Bowl pits the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Santa Clara in a political climate made all the more tense by the choice of Bad Bunny for the half-time concert.
More than 120 million Americans are expected in front of their screens for the final of the all-powerful NFL league, which angered Donald Trump by opting for Puerto Rican mega-star Bad Bunny, denouncer of the president’s violent anti-immigration policy, to host a show at least as popular as the match.
The Seahawks are considered slight favorites thanks to their defense. The Patriots are aiming for a record 7th title but were not expected at this level after several consecutive moribund seasons following the departure in 2019 of “GOAT” (best player of all time) Tom Brady.
Kick-off will be at 3:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. GMT) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (California), southeast of San Francisco. All eyes will then be on Bad Bunny for the traditional halftime show.
Bad Bunny at the center of attention
A world star with his reggaeton mixed with Latin trap, the Puerto Rican vehemently criticizes the repressive migration policy of Donald Trump, who was in turn irritated by the NFL’s choice. The Republican leader, who was the first president in history to attend a Super Bowl last year in New Orleans, will be absent from the event, denouncing a “horrible choice”.
Joined by the rock group Green Day, also a critic of Trump, Bad Bunny should be the first artist to sing exclusively in Spanish during this major annual show.
The singer called on February 1 to put “ICE out” during his triumph at the Grammy Awards ceremony, American music awards.
Federal immigration police have been at the center of criticism, especially since early January, when their agents shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, in Minneapolis. Other federal agents killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old American nurse, in the same Minnesota town at the end of January, on the sidelines of protests against ICE.
Faced with this tragic news, Bad Bunny promised this week “a huge party”, spectators having according to him “only have to worry about dancing” during a show with content kept secret. Will he also take advantage of this unique scene to deliver a political message?
Maye vs. Darnold
On the pitch, the Patriots will try to regain their glory at the beginning of the century, when the “Evil Empire” was crowned six times between 2002 and 2019.
The Patriots were one of the worst teams in the league the previous two seasons, however, with eight wins in total in two years. The transformation took place after the appointment in March 2025 of Mike Vrabel, a 50-year-old coach and former teammate of Tom Brady.
If successful, they would become the first franchise to win seven titles, ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers (6).
The Massachusetts franchise has found a new nugget at the quarterback position, with Drake Maye, who is applying at 23 to become the youngest player in history to hold this key position to lift the Vince-Lombardi trophy.
Maye, his long passes and his crossing skills with the ball in hand, will have to get rid of the fierce defense of the Seahawks, the most effective against the opposing “QBs”.
The Washington State team will count on its own ball handler, Sam Darnold (28), anonymous who passed unsuccessfully through four franchises before finding the light in the northwest of the country this season.
Seattle only has one trophy to its name, in 2014, a year before a last appearance in the Super Bowl for a defeat against the Patriots, already.
To get their revenge, Sam Darnold will have to prove his worth in a high-stakes match.
“He’s a guy who never gives up and a competitor, a winner,” assured his trainer Mike Macdonald to AFP.
