In a surprising twist, frequent NFL critic Skip Bayless has offered rare praise for the league and its partner Roc Nation following their decision to select Bad Bunny as the headline act for Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara. The controversial sports commentator described the choice as "inspired" and "different" during an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail at this week's NFL Crucial Catch dinner in San Francisco, an event hosted by the American Cancer Society.
An Unlikely Endorsement
"I thought it was an inspired, different sort of choice," Bayless revealed to the publication. "He's the most downloaded artist in the world, so good for the NFL." This endorsement comes despite Bad Bunny's polarizing reputation among conservative audiences. Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the Grammy Award-winning musician and actor has drawn criticism for his Spanish lyrics, anti-ICE stance, and vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump.
Beyond the Music
While acknowledging he hasn't fully immersed himself in Bad Bunny's musical catalog, Bayless expressed admiration for the artist's versatility. "You know, it's funny," Bayless began. "I thought he was not good, [but] great, in Happy Gilmore 2 because he stole it. He's a very gifted actor, and I like him on Saturday Night Live. I like him a lot."
The commentator continued: "And the music, I haven't gotten into yet, I try. And then I heard a song today that I liked, and maybe I'm too out of the demo, but all I know about Bad Bunny is: He is extremely talented in many, many ways, so I'm happy. I liked [the decision]."
A Changing Super Bowl Landscape
Bayless, who began covering the annual championship game in 1976, noted that the halftime show controversy has become the dominant narrative surrounding Super Bowl LX. He contrasted today's carefully managed media environment with the more colorful personalities of decades past. "What's the difference now?" Bayless asked rhetorically. "It was already a worldwide-covered event way back in the 70s, so that hasn't changed, but the players are so schooled now to say nothing… they're so media trained not to create controversy or distraction or raise any eyebrows about anything other than cliche football."
The Vanilla Era
This week's media sessions provided little deviation from this pattern, according to Bayless. Despite New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell confessing to kicking a cat and head coach Mike Vrabel fielding questions about castration, neither team generated substantial intrigue ahead of Sunday's matchup. "I miss that because back in the day, everybody used this stage to promote themselves, and now everybody has their own podcast stage, and they don't need it," Bayless lamented. "So the Super Bowl stage has become vanilla, stale, boring, cliche ridden. Nobody ever says anything worth repeating."
Remembering Hollywood Henderson
Bayless fondly recalled covering more outspoken personalities during his early career, particularly Dallas Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Before the 1978 NFC championship game, Henderson correctly predicted Dallas' shutout victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Weeks later, he delivered his famous pre-Super Bowl jab at Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, claiming the signal-caller "couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the C and the A."
"I knew Thomas very well and it was all contrived," Bayless revealed. "He'd rehearsed it. In fact, I was in his hotel room before that media session, and he was rehearsing the line, so he had thought it up. And it was a funny, clever line. And [Cowboys coach] Tom Landry did not love it, but that's all anybody talked about for the next 48 hours."
The Modern Contrast
Watching Monday's Opening Night in San Jose only reinforced Bayless's perception of how much has changed. "So you know, nobody's going to talk about Bad Bunny," he predicted. "Nobody's going to talk about anything remotely controversial."
Game Prediction
As for Sunday's championship matchup, Bayless offered a tentative forecast. "This is not concrete," he cautioned. "I am leaning Patriots, and the world loves Seattle, yeah… I just like the way the quarterback [Drake Maye] plays and the coach [Mike Vrabel] coaches. I believe in their culture that he is created, recreated on the fly. So they've won me over so far. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and think differently, but that's for now."
Bayless suggested that Seattle players could potentially change his mind, but doing so might require embracing the kind of unfiltered personality exemplified by Henderson decades ago—something he considers unlikely in today's carefully managed NFL media environment.
