Episode 18: Can a Halftime Show Act as Resistance?
About the episode…
Join us in listening to this podcast episode where Lucy, Missy, and Alex deconstruct the 2026 Superbowl Halftime Show.
This episode dives into how the Superbowl Halftime Show can actually be a form of resistance that disrupts white culture, explores identity formation, and promotes solidarity and coalition building with marginalized communities. The team also discusses the. controversy around the Halftime Show, as well as the “alternative” show put on by Turning Point U.S.A. and the GOP.
Links to Mentions & References:
-“Allyship.” Allyship | Multicultural Resource Center. Accessed February 13, 2026. https://mrc.ucsf.edu/allyship.
-Donnella, Leah. “NPR’s ‘Code Switch’: Joy as Resistance.” NPR, December 26, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/12/26/nx-s1-5646642/nprs-code-switch-joy-as-resistance.
-Fugardi, Rachael. “Turning Point USA: A Case Study of the Hard Right in 2024.” Southern Poverty Law Center, May 22, 2025. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turning-point-usa-case-study-hard-right-2024/.
-Gamboa, Ricardo. “I Study Culture and a Major Focus of Mine Is How Culture Can Either Reinforce or Challenge Power Relations. Recognition without Repair Isn’t Liberation.’” Instagram, February 9, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DUhF9V3jVWL/?igsh=YnNsbWNzdGc2cmE2.
-Jordan, Max. “The History and Evolution of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.” GigWise, May 4, 2025. https://www.gigwise.com/the-evolution-of-super-bowl-halftime-shows-from-marching-bands-to-megastars/.
-Krueger, Adam. “Bad Bunny En Las Noticias. @badbunnypr #badbunnypr #badbunny #superbowl #titimepregunto.” Instagram, February 9, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUleqv3AUfy/.
-Oluo, Ijeoma. “Chapter 7 - Go Fucking Play: Football and the Fear of Black Men.” Chapter. In Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, 227–63. New York, NY: Seal Press, 2020.
-Payne, George Cassidy, and Bianca Peracchi. “Diversity and Equity as an Act of Nonviolent Civil Resistance - Nonviolence International.” Nonviolence International, February 16, 2025. https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/diversity_and_equity.
-”Performative Activism.” Office of Equity, Vitality, and Inclusion, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, and Boston University Medical Group. Glossary for Culture Transformation. 2021. BMC.org, February 12, 2026.
https://www.bmc.org/glossary-culture-transformation/performative-activism.
-Praxis Archives. “Some Thoughts on the Super Bowl and Hegemony.’” Instagram, February 9, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DUjnpkOkR4N/?img_index=3&igsh=MW05d3NhOHg3dGptdg%3D%3D.
-“Puerto Rico.” History.com, May 28, 2025.
https://www.history.com/articles/puerto-rico-history.
-Sayles, Damon. “Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show: Bad Bunny Final Analysis, Celebrity Thoughts - the Athletic.” www.NYTimes.com, February 9, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/super-bowl-halftime-show-bad-bunny-music/60RkQ6ZzUvD4/.
-Wright, Fiona. (2016) 2023. “Resistance”. In The Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology, edited by Felix Stein. Facsimile of the first edition in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Online: http://doi.org/10.29164/16resistance.
