Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), is facing calls from some MAGA and right-wing voices online to be fired after Super Bowl LX.
Why It Matters
The Super Bowl took place on Sunday and featured a halftime performance by Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, recently won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. His halftime performance drew 135 million viewers, according to CBS News.
That milestone follows months of backlash from some MAGA and conservative commentators who objected to the 31-year-old performing at the Super Bowl, citing his criticism of President Donald Trump, comments about avoiding U.S. performances due to concerns over ICE raids, and the fact that he sings his songs in Spanish. Some of that backlash has been criticized as racist in tone.
Bad Bunny performed in front of a message that read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” His performance prompted criticism from President Donald Trump, who called the set “absolutely terrible.”
In response, the conservative activist group TurningPoint USA said it would host its own alternative halftime show featuring Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.
On Fox News Sunday night, TurningPoint USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said viewership of the alternative show “blew our minds” and that the group plans to hold another concert in 2027. He said there were more than 10 million concurrent viewers across TurningPoint’s social platforms, a figure far below the Super Bowl halftime audience.
What To Know
Social media user @BasedBandita shared a clip of Goodell and Bad Bunny embracing after the halftime show and wrote, “Who else agrees, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NEEDS to be FIRED? The man single handedly ruined the NFL,” a post that has been viewed more than 475,000 times.
Another user, @Chicago1Ray, who describes himself as “MAGA” in his X bio, wrote, “Time for Roger Goodell to lose his f’n job… Fire Roger Goodell,” in a post viewed more than 90,000 times.
The criticism comes as the league has become a recurring target in online culture-war debates, with some right-wing voices criticizing it as “woke.”
Past controversies have included disputes over pride flags and the performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black national anthem.
Goodell previously defended the decision to feature Bad Bunny after the Grammys. “Listen, Bad Bunny is… one of the great artists in the world and that’s one of the reasons we chose him,” he said.
Supporters of Goodell have noted that claims he has “ruined” the NFL are subjective. In 2024, the NFL generated more than $23 billion in revenue, up 8.9 percent from the previous year, keeping it on pace to meet Goodell’s long-term goal of $25 billion by 2027.
What Happens Next
Online backlash is a frequent feature of political and cultural debates, though its real-world effects are often less clear.
