The Super Bowl has long been one of America’s great unifiers.
A day when families, friends, and even strangers gather around the TV, munching on wings and cheering for touchdowns, regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.
It’s a cultural touchstone that transcends politics, a brief respite where we all root for the same thing: a good game and an entertaining halftime show.
But Super Bowl 60, held on 8 February 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, shatters that illusion in a stark way.
For the first time, viewers have not one, but two competing halftime shows, each catering to a polarized audience.
This split isn’t just about music preferences. It’s a glaring symbol of how deeply divided we’ve become as a nation.
This moment reflects the silence of the moderate majority, where reasonable Americans step back while the loudest voices reshape culture and politics unchecked.
On one side, the official Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show features Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, fresh off his historic Grammy win for Album of the Year.
Known for his reggaeton and Latin trap hits, Bad Bunny’s performance promised high-energy beats, cultural pride, and a celebration of Latino heritage. He made history as the first solo Spanish-language artist to headline the event.
It’s a nod to America’s growing diversity, with songs that get crowds dancing and messages that often touch on social issues.
But for some, this choice felt like a cultural shift too far, sparking backlash from conservative corners who saw it as out of touch with “traditional” American values.
Enter the alternative: the “All-American Halftime Show,” organized by the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA.
Airing simultaneously on platforms like YouTube, X, Rumble, and conservative networks such as Real America’s Voice and One America News, this counter-programming features a lineup of country and rock artists, including Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
Billed as a patriotic, unapologetically American spectacle, it was explicitly positioned as a response to the NFL’s choice, appealing to viewers who preferred heartland anthems over urban rhythms.
The event was announced amid criticism from right-wing voices, turning what should be a shared entertainment moment into a battleground of ideologies.
This is political division on full display.
This duality isn’t coincidental. It’s a direct reflection of our national rift.
In a country where everything from vaccines to coffee cups gets politicized, even the Super Bowl halftime show, a slot once filled with feel-good pop spectacles, has been dragged into the partisan fray.
Bad Bunny’s show represents progress, inclusion, and global influences. The alternative harks back to a perceived “real” America of trucks, flags, and rock ‘n’ roll.
But here’s the truth: music has no party affiliation.
A beat that moves you doesn’t care if you’re red or blue. It just wants you to feel it. Bad Bunny’s rhythms and Kid Rock’s riffs both stem from the same American spirit of expression and creativity.
Yet, we’ve allowed tribalistic politics to slice them apart, forcing us to choose sides in a nonexistent war.
This is cultural polarization at its worst.
The Warning We Can’t Ignore
Americans are more politically and culturally divided than at any point in recent decades, a trend consistently documented by long-term national surveys.
As Americans first, we must reject this two-party trap.
The dueling halftime shows of Super Bowl 60 aren’t just entertainment options. They’re a warning sign.
When we let extremists on both sides dictate our cultural experiences, we surrender the common ground that makes us strong. Tribalism thrives on division; it profits politicians, pundits, and provocateurs who keep us angry and isolated.
What we’re witnessing is the hidden cost of outrage-driven platforms, where algorithms reward division because anger keeps audiences engaged and profitable.
This moment reflects the silence of the moderate majority, where reasonable Americans step back while the loudest voices reshape culture and politics unchecked.
But we don’t have to play along.
We can combat this by remembering that our fellow citizens aren’t enemies, even when their playlists differ from ours.
This is how to overcome political division: by refusing to let it define every aspect of our lives.
The Moderate’s Oath: A Path Forward
It’s time to rise united, reclaim our future, and rebuild a country where events like the Super Bowl bring us together, not push us further apart.
To guide us in this effort, consider embracing the principles laid out in The Moderate’s Oath, a pledge that prioritizes truth, compromise, and unity over ideological purity:
The Moderate’s Oath
“I pledge allegiance to truth over tribalism, to coalition over conquest, to pragmatism over purity.
I will listen before I judge, seek common ground before I retreat to my corner, and choose results that improve lives over rhetoric that merely feels righteous.
I recognize that those with differing political views are not my enemies but my fellow citizens, that disagreement is not betrayal, and that democracy requires compromise without surrendering principle.
I will speak when silence is easier, build bridges when division is profitable, and fight fiercely for practical solutions that work for all Americans, not just those who think like me.
I am a moderate, which means I am a revolutionary, a warrior for pragmatic progress in an age of extremes.
I refuse to surrender my country to those who profit from our division.
I refuse to be silent while extremists claim to speak for America.
This is my oath. This is my revolution. I will honor it with my voice, my vote, and my actions.
United we rise. Divided we fall. I choose unity.”
This is the moderate movement America needs right now.
Let Super Bowl 60 be a turning point, not a tombstone for our shared identity.
Abandon the tribalism that’s tearing us apart.
Reclaim the American unity that built this nation.
Restore a democracy that works for every American, not just the loudest voices.
Final Words: Choose Unity
The Super Bowl 2026 controversy shows us exactly where we’re headed if we don’t change course.
Two halftime shows. Two audiences. Two Americas.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
We can choose to see beyond the political division. We can choose to recognize that our differences in taste, culture, and background are strengths, not weaknesses.
Start today: talk to someone who disagrees with you. Find that common beat. Dance forward together.
Let’s make American unity more than just a hashtag. Let’s make it real.
Our future depends on it.
Nicely put / there was not a right answer for today’s American divide unfortunately.