By STEVEN SLOAN and STEVE PEOPLES, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t tune into the Tremendous Bowl hoping for a break from the tumultuous politics gripping the U.S.
The NFL is going through stress forward of Sunday’s recreation between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to take a extra specific stance towards the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Greater than 184,000 individuals have signed a petition calling on the league to denounce the potential presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the Tremendous Bowl, which is being held at Levi’s Stadium within the San Francisco Bay Space. The liberal group MoveOn plans to ship the petition to the NFL’s New York Metropolis headquarters on Tuesday.
In the meantime, anticipation is constructing round how Dangerous Bunny, the halftime present’s Spanish-speaking headliner, will deal with the second. He has criticized President Donald Trump on every little thing from his hurricane response in his native Puerto Rico to his therapy of immigrants. On Sunday evening, he blasted ICE whereas accepting an award on the Grammys. His newest tour skipped the continental U.S. due to fears that his followers could possibly be focused by immigration brokers.
Trump has mentioned he doesn’t plan to attend this yr’s recreation, in contrast to final yr, and he has derided Dangerous Bunny as a “horrible alternative.” A Republican senator is looking it “the woke bowl.” And a outstanding conservative group plans to carry another present that it hopes will steal consideration from the principle occasion.
The Tremendous Bowl is likely one of the few remaining cultural touchstones considered by thousands and thousands of individuals in actual time and the halftime present is not any stranger to controversy, maybe most notably Janet Jackson’s 2004 efficiency wherein her breast was briefly uncovered. However there are few parallels to this yr’s recreation, which has the potential to turn into an uncommon mixture of sports activities, leisure, politics and protest. And it’ll unfold at a tinderbox second for the U.S., simply two weeks after Alex Pretti’s killing by federal brokers in Minneapolis reignited a nationwide debate over the Trump administration’s hard-line regulation enforcement ways.
“The Tremendous Bowl is meant to be an escape, proper? We’re speculated to go there to not have to speak concerning the severe issues of this nation,” mentioned Tiki Barber, a former participant for the New York Giants who performed within the Tremendous Bowl in 2001 and has since attended a number of as a commentator. “I hope it doesn’t devolve, as a result of if it does, then I feel we’re actually shedding contact with what’s vital in our society.”
Dangerous Bunny has leaned into the controversy
The 31-year-old Dangerous Bunny, born in Puerto Rico as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has elevated Latino music into the mainstream and gained world fame with songs virtually solely in Spanish — one thing that irks a lot of his conservative detractors. He has leaned into the controversy, referring to the halftime present when he hosted “Saturday Evening Stay” in October by joking “everyone is pleased about it — even Fox Information.”
He segued into just a few sentences in Spanish, expressing Latino satisfaction within the achievement, and completed by saying in English, “In case you didn’t perceive what I simply mentioned, you could have 4 months to study!”
Those that observe him intently doubt that he’ll again down now.
“He has made it very clear what he stands for,” mentioned Vanessa Díaz, a professor at Loyola Marymount College and co-author of “P FKN R: How Dangerous Bunny Turned the World Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.” “So I can’t think about that this could all go away with the Tremendous Bowl.”
The halftime present is a collaboration between the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music. Roc Nation curates the performers and Apple Music distributes the efficiency whereas the NFL finally controls the stage, broadcast and branding.
The NFL, which is working to increase its enchantment internationally, together with into Latin America, mentioned it by no means thought-about eradicating Dangerous Bunny from the halftime present even after criticism from Trump and a few of his supporters.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday described the singer as “one of many nice artists on the planet,” in addition to somebody who understands the facility of the Tremendous Bowl efficiency “to unite individuals and to have the ability to deliver individuals collectively.”
“I feel artists up to now have accomplished that. I feel Dangerous Bunny understands that. And I feel you’ll have an amazing efficiency,” Goodell instructed reporters throughout his annual Tremendous Bowl press convention.
About half of People accredited of Dangerous Bunny because the halftime performer, in accordance with an October ballot from Quinnipiac College. However there have been substantial gaps with about three-quarters of Democrats backing the choose in comparison with simply 16% of Republicans. About 60% of Black and Hispanic adults accredited of the choice in comparison with 41% of whites.
Republicans are keen to take care of Latino assist of their bid to maintain management of Congress. However because the Tremendous Bowl attracts close to, many within the GOP have stored up their Dangerous Bunny critiques.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, the previous head soccer coach at Auburn College who’s now working for governor, derided the “Woke Bowl” on Newsmax final week and mentioned he’ll watch another occasion hosted by Turning Level USA.
The group based by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk mentioned Monday that Child Rock, a vocal Trump supporter, can be among the many performers at its occasion.
DHS gained’t say whether or not immigration brokers will probably be at Tremendous Bowl
In current days, Division of Homeland Safety official Jeff Brannigan hosted a sequence of personal calls with native officers and the NFL wherein he indicated that ICE doesn’t plan to conduct any regulation enforcement actions the week of the Tremendous Bowl or on the recreation, in accordance with two NFL officers with direct data of the conversations.
ICE shouldn’t be anticipated to be amongst greater than a dozen DHS-related companies offering safety on the recreation, the officers mentioned, talking on the situation of anonymity to debate personal conversations.
Whereas that’s the plan, some fear that Trump and his MAGA allies who lead DHS can change their minds forward of Sunday’s recreation given their current statements.
DHS official Corey Lewandowski, a key adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, mentioned in October that ICE brokers can be conducting immigration enforcement on the recreation.
“There may be nowhere which you can present secure haven to people who find themselves within the nation illegally, not the Tremendous Bowl, not anyplace else,” he mentioned on the time.
Requested to make clear ICE’s function this week, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin refused to say whether or not federal immigration brokers will probably be current for the Tremendous Bowl.
“Those that are right here legally and never breaking different legal guidelines don’t have anything to concern,” she mentioned. “We is not going to disclose future operations or focus on personnel. Tremendous Bowl safety will entail a whole-of-government response carried out consistent with the U.S. Structure.”
The progressive group MoveOn will host a Tuesday rally outdoors the NFL headquarters in New York to current a petition telling the league, “No ICE on the Tremendous Bowl.”
“This yr’s Tremendous Bowl ought to be remembered for large performs and Dangerous Bunny, not masked and armed ICE brokers working across the stadium inflicting chaos, violence, and trauma on followers and stadium employees,” MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich mentioned. “The NFL can’t keep on the sidelines, the league has a accountability to behave like adults, shield Tremendous Bowl followers and stadium employees, and maintain ICE out of the sport.”
In an interview, San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie was optimistic that the occasion can be a hit even in a politically tense local weather.
“We’re going to maintain everyone secure — our residents, our guests,” he mentioned. “Clearly with every little thing occurring, we’re staying on high of it, monitoring every little thing. However I anticipate every little thing to be secure and enjoyable.”
Peoples reported from New York.
