Like many others, I found the Super Bowl 2026 commercials rather bland—uninspired and cautious. I kept waiting for something bolder, something that felt responsive to the moment in America.
I was especially anticipating the Bad Bunny halftime show, and at first, I felt disappointed. There was no overt statement about the current situation in our country, no explicit call-out that matched the tension so many of us are feeling. But as I took in the entire event and reflected on it afterward, I realized just how brilliant this year’s Super Bowl truly was.
The halftime show turned out to be a celebration of diversity rather than a lecture about it. Bad Bunny brought icons to the stage and, in doing so, reminded us how absurd it is to dismiss Spanish-language music when it is so deeply woven into American culture. The message wasn’t shouted—it was lived, performed, and shared.
Levi’s, too, clearly got its money’s worth from the stadium sponsorship. Their logo hovered above a billboard that read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is LOVE,” a moment that carried the day for me. That message had been there all along, quietly but unmistakably. Peace, love, hope, and joy became the unspoken themes of the halftime show, while the celebration of beloved Puerto Rico offered a long-overdue release from years of slights against one of our own most beautiful territories. It felt less like a protest and more like an embrace of our fully assimilated, multicultural identity.
Do I wish corporate America had made a grand statement I could wholeheartedly rally behind? Of course I do. But I also understand the damage a hostile administration can inflict on major companies that step too far out of line. From that perspective, the brands did exactly what they needed to do: they promoted their products effectively and justified the enormous cost of participation.
In the end, the commercials matched the tone of a fairly boring game, and that restraint allowed American talent to rise to the occasion in a different way. The moment was met not with spectacle for spectacle’s sake, but with a subtle affirmation of who we are. A wide spectrum of Americans was invited to see—and perhaps unknowingly embrace—our beautiful multicultural landscape.
Sometimes the most powerful statements are the ones that don’t announce themselves at all.
