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America's top football league will not drop Bad Bunny as the headline performer for the prestigious mid-game entertainment, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced this week.

With this affirmation, Goodell reaffirmed the decision to feature the Puerto Rican artist on the league’s biggest stage, a move that drew negative reactions from the former president and some of his supporters.

Goodell addressed the debate during his media briefing following the league's autumn gathering. This marks the initial instance he has spoken out on the appointment, which has garnered worldwide attention, including a surge in streams of the artist's catalog alongside opposition.

“It’s carefully thought through,” the commissioner said. “I doubt we have chosen an artist where we avoided pushback or disapproval. It’s pretty hard to do when you have truly countless viewers of people tuning in.”

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been a vocal opponent of the former leader. He recently decided to hold a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, avoiding performances in the mainland US, citing apprehensions about the expulsion of Latinos.

The artist, who performs in Spanish, is expected to continue this at the Super Bowl.

“We’re confident it will deliver a spectacular performance,” Goodell said. “He understands the platform that he has, and I think it’s going to be thrilling and a united experience.”

The host team are staging the championship game on 8 February at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is unclear if the former president plans to be there, though he has made physical attendance at high-profile games a key aspect of his current presidency.

The political figure during a discussion on right-leaning media the outlet said he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny.

“I’m unfamiliar with his identity,” Trump stated. “I don’t know the reasoning behind it. It seems absurd. Additionally, they blame it on some promoter they contracted to pick up talent. In my opinion it’s completely unreasonable.”

Goodell defended the decision this week, explaining it was determined because of Bad Bunny’s immense popularity.

“He’s one of the top and most popular performers in the world,” he said. “That’s what we aim to accomplish. It’s an important platform for the league. It serves as a key element to the entertainment value.”