This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Feb. 6, 2026.
Bad Bunny isn’t just topping charts — he’s landed on college syllabi.
Now, as the Puerto Rican superstar is set to take the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday, a Cal State LA professor is inviting the wider community to unpack what the moment says about Latinidad.
José G. Anguiano, a professor and department chair of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, is hosting a plática on Monday to reflect on how Latinos are celebrated and sometimes overlooked during major sports culture moments.
The selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer has sparked much interest and controversy, with some perceiving the artist — who only sings in Spanish — as not American or mainstream enough to headline the show.
As part of the conversation — “Pláticas con Profes: ¿Bad Bunny ‘Too Latino’ for the Super Bowl?”— Anguiano wants to explore why some Americans see him as a controversial pick.
Bad Bunny not falling in line with “white American Anglo culture” doesn’t make him any less American, said Anguiano.
-
The next opportunity is called the Last-Minute Sales phase, which FIFA has said will open in early April. -
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, or SAJE, issued a report Thursday focused on L.A.'s financial exposure as host city. -
L.A. politicians say Wasserman's leadership is a distraction after newly released emails between him and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The professor reminds the public that Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — is an American citizen. The fact that he speaks Spanish, “I would argue is a very American thing,” he said.
“Given the current administration, I think that’s part of the conversation about why he’s so important,” Anguiano said.
Anguiano is also gearing up to teach a special topics course on Bad Bunny in the spring of 2027 at Cal State LA. Bad Bunny, Anguiano said, is an entry point to learn about broader cultural history.
He thinks of the song “El Apagón,” which sheds light on power outages, government corruption and the displacement of native Puerto Ricans. In “Yo Perreo Sola,” which Bad Bunny dedicated to “those who desire to dance alone and safely in the club,” Anguiano finds ways to talk about gender and sexuality.
“I know some people don’t take popular music as a serious subject, but … there’s really important things that are happening through music,” Anguiano said.
How to join the plática:
Date: Monday, Feb. 9
Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Alhambra Room, U-SU (2nd floor) at Cal State LA
Address: 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Phone: (323) 343-5001
