I’m just gonna say it: this year’s Super Bowl kinda sucked. And listen, I am so glad the Patriots didn’t win. Truly. Deeply. Spiritually. But also… are we sure they’re okay without Tom Brady? Like, are we sure? Because watching three full quarters of the Seahawks getting field goals felt less like the biggest professional football game of the year and more like a very expensive group project where no one wanted to take initiative. As a football girly, I was genuinely surprised. This is the Super Bowl. Where were the touchdowns? The chaos? The “oh my god did you see that” moments? It didn’t feel elite—it felt awkward.
That said, the halftime show? Loved it. No notes. I love Bad Bunny. What really hit for me wasn’t just the performance, but the reminder of how deeply this country is built on Black and brown communities. Football does not exist in a vacuum, it is always political. No matter how hard some people try to deny it, or how loudly they support ICE and MAGA while benefiting from the culture, labor, and talent of those same communities, the truth is unavoidable. We depend on them. We always have.
Seeing “Together We Are America” on the football genuinely made me pause. And ending with “The Only Thing Stronger Than Hate Is Love” felt necessary, especially right now. We need that reminder. Loving our communities doesn’t mean agreeing on everything politically or morally. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs—I truly believe that. But loving your community means recognizing humanity first.
As someone who comes from immigrants, farm workers, and enslaved people, I cannot stand by and watch people be treated as less than human. I can’t pretend that hate is just another opinion. It isn’t. Football is entertainment, sure—but it’s also a mirror. And while the game itself disappointed me, the message didn’t.
So yeah, the Super Bowl wasn’t great football. But for those of us who live this reality every day, it was a reminder that love is still stronger than hate. And honestly? That might’ve been the strongest play of the night.
