The NFL’s decision to have Bad Bunny perform at its Super Bowl halftime show, while offensive to its traditional demographic, is actually a smart marketing idea. He’s not hugely appealing to the current NFL demographic (mostly older, affluent(ish), white men), but he’s huge in the fastest growing demographic group in America: Hispanics.
In 2020, Hispanics made up 19.5% of the U.S. population, and the Census Bureau projects they’re likely to show accelerated growth because they, unlike other Americans, have children. Of course, this may change with Donald Trump’s ICE crackdowns, but, for now, Hispanics are where the marketplace is moving.
Image created using AI.
Currently, the average NFL viewer is likely to be male, although there are more women watching. While there’s a strong cohort in the 25 to 44 age group, the NFL has a significant older viewership, with as many as 47% of the audience over 55 and relatively affluent. Sites that analyze demographics shy away from identifying the racial breakdown of the average NFL fandom, but the general sense is that the fan base is disproportionately white.
The lagging demographic for the NFL is Hispanics: While they make up almost 20% of the general population, they make up, at most, 14% of the NFL fan base. There’s a lot of room for growth there.
Enter Bad Bunny. You and I see an obnoxious jerk who dresses in women’s clothes and insults Trump and his supporters, attitudes that are unlikely to make friends among many of the traditional NFL fans. However, the NFL honchos see a market opportunity.
The sexually fluid Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio was born in Puerto Rico. Even though Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, its vibe is strongly Latin American. Also, although I find his talent elusive (a toneless voice chanting tunelessly isn’t my kind of music), he is hugely popular. The fact that his songs are all in Spanish may explain why ChatGPT estimates that his core demographic is American Hispanics.
In case you’re wondering what Bad Bunny is selling, Dakiti, which he performs with Jhayco is his most-streamed song (1.6 billion views on YouTube alone), while Yo Perreo Sola is his best-selling song:
I don’t get it, but millions of young people, especially Hispanic young people, do, and the NFL is desperately hoping that they’ll tune in, not just for the show, but for the game. As far as the NFL is concerned, the old white men who currently make up its audience are yesterday’s news, for they’re all soon headed to the grave. The organization is looking for young blood, and Bad Bunny’s audience is its target, and they’re willing to jettison their existing fanbase in this gamble on the future.