Country Music Solution to Super Bowl Halftime Show

Another year, another disappointment for country music fans who love pro football. The NFL announced that the SB60 halftime show would feature Bad Bunny next February. It’s been over twenty years since Shania Twain performed along with No Doubt and Sting at SB37 in 2003. The last (and only) time country music got the full halftime show was 1994 with Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker and The Judds.

Shania Twain 2003 Super Bowl halftime show (with No Doubt and Sting)

Bad Bunny is an accomplished artist. His albums have sold millions. He performs to big crowds, and he’s been on the Super Bowl halftime stage before, when he showed up for the Shakira and Jennifer Lopez halftime show in 2020. Nothing against Bad Bunny, but the NFL keeps ignoring a big percentage of its audience by acting like country music isn’t a thing.

Bad Bunny - Super Bowl LX (2023) halftime show featured artist

Country music has had a huge couple years in music sales and chart success, with several pop artists crossing over, Beyonce and Post Malone being the biggest examples to ride the wave. Not the NFL though. Year after year, Super Bowl after Super Bowl, halftime show after halftime show country music gets passed by.

Beyonce wins Best Country album Grammy for "Cowboy Carter" in February

There is a fix to this, and this fix has already been proven, and the NFL responded. In 1992, after years of pedestrian halftime shows at the Super Bowl like: Big Band era tribute, Hollywood Silver Screen tribute, or another Motown tribute with marching bands carrying the load, the Fox sketch comedy show “In Living Color” decided to have their own Super Bowl halftime special. Millions of people changed the channel to watch “Blaine and Antoine” portrayed by Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier. Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson and Keenan Ivory Wayans made the most of their pre-produced “special”, 20 million viewers changed the channel and the NFL took note. In 1993 the Super Bowl halftime show was Michael Jackson.

In 2026 NBC is airing the game. There is an opportunity now for another network to produce a halftime show of their own that focuses on country artists or performers. If enough people change the channel, advertisers will pay attention. So will the NFL.

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The challenge is to stop complaining and take action. Country music is big enough to make this pitch to some other network and get it done. Whether it’s George Strait, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood or Tim McGraw, or any high-profile artist that spans multiple generations and will draw eyeballs. Mix in younger artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton or Lainey Wilson to duet a song or medley and do it big. Pre-produce it, or show off and do it live. You’ll at least give country music a chance to prove itself to the networks.

Carrie Underwood would pull viewers and nail a big budget performance.

If successful, you can do it every year. Want a country music Super Bowl halftime show? Make it. Nashville we’re looking at you. Go show the networks that country music artists will provide numbers for advertisers.