Bravo!

Bad Bunny represents us all

By MAGADALENO ‘LENO’ AVILA — Guest Columnist

The sixtieth playing of the Super Bowl featured the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots — Seattle won by a score of 29-13.

And then there was the halftime show with Bad Bunny.

“They don’t even have to learn Spanish. Better they learn to dance,” he said. “There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.” Bad Bunny — Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.

Originally to critics of his singing in Spanish he said that they had two months to learn Spanish.

Music and dancing have always been international ways of communication.

Bunny has said “English was not my first language, but it’s not American’s first language (either).”

This year was interesting since the White House, Turning Point USA and others pushed the NFL to cancel Bad Bunny. When that failed, Turning Point Executive Erica Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, decided to organize an alternative halftime show and claimed more than once that their show would outdraw the NFL halftime show

Turning Points production reached anywhere from 4-7 million viewers. While the NFL’s halftime shows have reached 100 million plus since 2008 and this year’s show is estimated to have reached 144.5 million.

The presentation opened with a young man saying “Que rico es ser Latino!” 

Bad Bunny produced a first-class show opening in a sugar cane field. Bunny is carrying a football that has printed on it “Together we are America.” Workers are seen harvesting sugar cane. He passes a melon stand, men playing dominos, a fingernail shop, and the Villa Tacos stand of Highland, Calif., with the founder Victor Villa at the truck. Bunny did some singing on top of a pickup. He also included men working on power poles supporting electrical wires — recognizing the workers and the loss of electricity to most of Puerto Rico in the recent years. Viewers were treated to a quick, wonderful tour of Puerto Rican life.

And, they got to see a real wedding being performed.

He had a good sprinkling of children and older Latinos which speaks to the unity of la familia.

The dancers were magic and wonderful and made one wish they were there to dance with them. The music and words of Bunny was a tsunami of love. At one point, he came close to the camera and said, “I had to believe in myself and you must believe in yourself.”

This super event took place at Levi Stadium, in Santa Clara, Calif. It included Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga, plus a wonderful women’s violin section of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea.

I had the ultimate pleasure of watching this great football game played by two strong teams in a patio in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico, broadcast by Azteca Television with dear friends. It was good to see so many ads in Spanish. Even Shaquille O’Neil promoting hamburgers on Bimbo Bread. His Spanish was not bad. Latino purchasing power is on the radar of every major corporation.

The instant translation done by Aztec was good and accurate and it reached Latinos in the Americas and was most appreciated.

It should be noted that at least three Latinos suited up and played in this most important game.

Of course, as the game progressed, we sat cheering our teams on, eating tacos, carne asada, guacamole, refried beans, some great chili sauces, toasted onions and tortillas.

Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and America should be proud of this spiritual artist.

The giant screen at one end of the stadium visually shouted out, “The only thing stronger than hate is love!”

Bunny opened carrying a football and closed by shouting, “God bless America,” with a parade of dancers carrying flags of all the countries of the Americas, including Canada.

And in the end, he spiked the football and shouted, “Aqui sigemos!”