Rapper and Roc Nation founder Jay-Z will headline the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show, and one sports columnist is urging parents to make plans for the break that do not involve the television.
“Make sure your kids are not in front of the television at halftime on Feb. 14,” OutKick senior NFL writer Armando Salguero warned earlier this week.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Jay-Z’s booking for Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The rapper will take the stage at an event his company already helps produce.
Parents should definitely heed Salguero’s warning.
Much of Jay-Z’s music includes strong profanity and vulgar themes, especially about the treatment of women.
“The problem, more than 99 of them, is what the NFL and Roc Nation are telling us about their comfort level with the N-word, the devaluing of women, violence and presenting all those in one profanity-laced package to a worldwide audience,” Salguero wrote.
For parents who gather children around the television for football, his column raises a familiar question: Does buying into the big game mean buying into its entertainment, too?
The NFL has been all in on the musician for years. In its 2019 partnership announcement, the NFL said Roc Nation would advise on selecting artists for major league performances, including the Super Bowl, and work with its Inspire Change initiative.
And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he’s wanted Jay-Z to perform since the beginning.
“When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that JAŸ-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said of Jay-Z’s upcoming Super Bowl performance. “I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”
Roc Nation will executive produce the halftime telecast and serve as its strategic entertainment advisor, while television director Hamish Hamilton will direct.
The viewing options make questions about content even more relevant. In an Oct. 7 announcement, Disney+ said all its US subscribers would be able to stream the traditional game presentation carried by ESPN and ABC, along with the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes telecast.
For families, having the game available inside a familiar app does not settle whether every part of the evening fits their children. A platform offers access, not a substitute for a parent’s judgment about language, imagery or the messages a performance celebrates.
Parents do not have to abandon the big game altogether because of the halftime show, though. They can decide beforehand to take a snack break, play a quick game together or choose another program, then return for the second half.
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