Jay Z's past political statements won't help perception of NFL politicizing Super Bowl halftime

Specifically, viewership on NBC and Telemundo fell from 135.9 million at the end of the second quarter to 128.2 million during Bad Bunny's performance from 8:15 to 8:29 p.m.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.

This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.That's a 5.7% decline during halftime, compared to a 4% drop during Kendrick Lamar's performance a year earlier.Before the past two years, Super Bowl audiences had typically grown during the halftime show.According to Puck, the person responsible for selecting Lamar and Bad Bunny has now chosen himself to perform this year in Los Angeles: Jay Z, whom the NFL empowered as halftime czar in 2019.President Barack Obama stands on stage with rapper Jay-Z and musician Bruce Springsteen at an election campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio.

(Corbis via Getty Images)On the surface, a third consecutive year of declining halftime viewership should concern the league.Jay Z offers nostalgia.He was one of the defining hip-hop artists of the 2000s.

He remained relevant well into the following decade through collaborations with artists such as Kanye West and Rihanna.More American viewers are likely to recognize Jay Z than Lamar or Bad Bunny, even if the latter is a massive international attraction.Still, recognition doesn't necessarily translate to interest.Lamar and Bad Bunny divided fans along political lines at a time when partisan activism often limits the appeal of an event as mainstream as the Super Bowl.

Jay Z's political history is even more extensive.Sports fans may remember that he helped distribute "I Can’t Breathe" T-shirts as part of protests following the death of Eric Garner.He also headlined an Ohio concert for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and was an outspoken supporter of Barack Obama.Jay Z celebrated Obama's election in the 2008 track "My President," rapping, "Rosa Pa...