The highly anticipated clash at Super Bowl LX is underway as both teams locked horns in a tough competition. As the halftime whistleblew with the Seahawks leading 7-0 over the Patriots, the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took the stage to fill Levi’s Stadium with enthusiasm once again. However, the halftime show didn’t go without controversy.

Soon after the broadcasting partner, ESPN, celebrated the rapper’s performance on X with a hyping shoutout, the fans’ focus was divided, as they noticed a missing flag in the update.

ESPN’s official X account posted a picture of Bad Bunny proudly standing in his Super Bowl performance outfit. Applauding the high-energy performance from Bunny, which included songs like Tití Me Preguntó, “Yo perreo sola, Safaera, and more, the global media giant regarded his show as “legendary”.

“THE BENITO BOWL WAS LEGENDARY,” the caption said. “Bad Bunny put on a show de Puerto Rico para el mundo.”

Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX was carefully planned and built around cultural detail and realism. According to production sources, the artist worked closely with designers to reflect Latino and Puerto Rican communities through set design and movement.

Real businesses were referenced on stage, including Villa’s Tacos in Los Angeles and Toñita’s Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn. This highlighted long-standing community landmarks.

The performance space featured tall grass that appeared natural and heavy on camera. However, the effect was created by dozens of performers wearing hedge-style suits who moved in coordination to simulate wind and motion.

Every visual element was designed to feel grounded and intentional. The staging, costumes, and choreography supported the music while emphasizing cultural pride. The result was a performance by Bad Bunny that blended spectacle with clear storytelling.

However, despite the massive entertainment, the performance shoutout post by ESPN ended up igniting a controversy as a missing USA flag sparked patriotic issues.

Fans lash out at ESPN’s appreciation post following Bad Bunny’s performance

The ESPN post caption came with a Puerto Rican flag but had no mention of the United States or even a flag emoji. Some fans turned outraged at the minor detail and therefore thrashed the media giant with heavy criticism, while others simply admitted to the fact that they didn’t care enough about the show.

A fan presented a self-conducted analysis claiming that no Super Bowl fan he knew had tuned into Bad Bunny’s halftime performance. “Everyone I know turned it off or watched the TPUSA halftime show,” he wrote. According to him, a majority of the audience moved to the TPUSA halftime show while skipping the rapper’s performance. The show centers on conservative political commentary and culture-war messaging produced by Turning Point USA.

Another fan snubbed the rapper by mentioning how he and his watch party logged in to YouTube for some entertainment during the halftime show. “No one watched it – we were over on YouTube. Hope it was worth it.” The Bad Bunny-led show made history by becoming the first largely Spanish-language headliner. It is possible that the language barrier turned out to be the reason behind the massive reluctance.

Among all others who despised ESPN for the lack of entertainment, a fan caught minute details in the post, spotting a missing USA flag with the Puerto Rican flag decorated instead. “THE AMERICAN FLAG IS MISSING! Defund ESPN.” However, the impact of his allegation was turned down as other fans stepped forward to share instances showing the American flag alongside.

A comment accused ESPN of getting the graphical images prepared before even the show started. “/”Way to push your agenda @espn You had this ready to go before he even finished.” According to the comment, the media giant planned on promoting the halftime show regardless of the fact that the fans didn’t enjoy it to the fullest.

A fan ruled out ESPN’s “legendary” claim of Bad Bunny’s performance. “No, as a musician that sucked,” he wrote. The 59th Super Bowl halftime show turned out to be a massive hit as renowned rapper Drake took the stage to entertain the audience alongside Serena Williams. While everyone expected similar levels this time around, the outcome didn’t turn out to be satisfactory enough.

With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made it clear that Bad Bunny’s performance wasn’t worthy of ESPN’s overhype. However, the Seattle Seahawks’ massive win over the Patriots turned down the rage by dividing attention.