Sitting in a packed bar in Buenos Aires, surrounded by friends, I didn’t quite know what to expect as players headed to the locker room for halftime of Super Bowl LX. Then suddenly, onto the field came a flurry of people dressed as tropical plants.

What followed were 13 minutes of pure celebration. It was unexpected. It was theatrical. It was electric.

From the moment Puerto Rican superstar Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny, appeared out of the bushes and began performing his hit song “Tití Me Preguntó,” the energy in the stadium and the bar around me had revived.

In what was reported as the fourth most-viewed show in halftime history, Benito represented, paying homage to his Puerto Rican roots throughout the show while staying true to a larger message. In a country that has felt increasingly fractured as of late, his performance boiled down to one phrase: “Love over hate.”

When the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the headliner last September, it sparked a range of reactions. While many were excited to see one of the world’s biggest artists perform on arguably the biggest international stage, others were upset by the league’s decision. Despite his musical influence transcending genre or language, he was bashed by people like President Donald Trump as a “terrible choice” for the show and a “slap in the face” to the United States.

The backlash escalated to the point that conservative organization Turning Point USA organized an “alternative” halftime show, thus framing Bad Bunny’s very presence as political. Somehow, a performance centered on Latino culture had become controversial simply because it existed at the Super Bowl.

And therein lies the real issue. In a nation built on cultural diversity, representation should not be radical. Yet, the controversy surrounding his performance exposed how easily cultural presence can be mistaken for political provocation. For those who criticize Bad Bunny, such cultural diversity has in fact become something to resist rather than celebrate.

As the highly anticipated Super Bowl Sunday finally arrived, I was anxious to see how Bad Bunny would respond to all the noise. Would he fight fire with fire? What might his message be?

What ensued was the perfect response. Performing a flurry of songs from all facets of his discography, Bad Bunny kept the vibe upbeat and energized while never letting go of his proud Boricua heritage.

Above all, though, he wove together a performance that bridged cultures rather than separated them — from his “God Bless America” tangent, during which he shouted out countries across the Americas, to waving flags that reflected the hemisphere’s diversity and closing by spiking a football stamped with the phrase, “Together, We Are America.”

Guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin further blended Latin and American musical culture while reinforcing an overarching theme: This wasn’t a clash of cultures, but a collaboration.

He could have easily gone another direction. Bad Bunny has never shied away from political commentary in his music or public life, and he could’ve used the stage to critique the government or respond directly to his detractors. In an era when outrage often dominates attention, that path might even have been rewarded by some.

Instead, on America’s biggest stage, he opted for unity, celebration and love. Ultimately, his message to that Santa Clara crowd and the whole world last Sunday was that love — for ourselves and for one another — is the antidote for division. And at a time when division feels reflexive and compassion feels conditional, that message is a necessary one.

Bad Bunny’s halftime show was not political simply because it centered Latino culture. Instead, it was a powerful showing that reminded us that American identity has never been singular. It is multicultural, multilingual and, most of all, constantly evolving.

On that night, representation didn’t divide America; it reflected it.

Miguel Muñoz is a Medill junior. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.