Hope isn’t blind optimism — it arises in the face of uncertainty. If you look at our history, we’ve gone through some rough patches. But we tend to come out on the other side of them stronger than before.
Bad Bunny walked out in a #64 jersey with “OCASIO” on the back.
Not Bad Bunny.
Not Benito.
His real name.
His family name.
Then he grabbed the mic and said:
“My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. And if today I’m here at the Super Bowl, it’s because I never, never stopped believing in myself.”
In Spanish.
No translation.
Even the jumbotron was in Spanish.
And I watched the whole thing with a translator on.
Because the message was that important to me.
They said he was “un-American.”
They said nobody would understand him.
They said having him perform was “ridiculous.”
And he SHOWED OUT!
He brought out Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
He staged a wedding on the field.
He recreated a bodega.
He gave us a whole scene of family and love.
He humanized an entire culture on the world’s biggest stage.
All in his native language.
And he didn’t flinch.
His lyrics were clear messages:
“They want to take the river from me, and the beach too. They want my neighborhood and for my grandma to leave.”
“I should have taken more photos when I had you. Hopefully my loved ones will never move.”
And that last line:
“Ojalá que los míos nunca se muden.”
Hopefully my loved ones will never move.
That’s about families being separated.
Forced to leave.
Displacement.
Yeah, he didn’t chase the mainstream.
He made the mainstream come to him.
He put his family name on his back and told 120 million people exactly who he is.
And I’m here for ALL of it!👏🏽
Sorry to go on about Taylor Swift, but I keep seeing "Let your daughter be an Erika Kirk, not a Taylor Swift.
Fuck that!
Here's a little about Taylor Swift.
She is GENEROUS.
She gave her crew for the Eras Tour 10% of the revenue. That's $197 million.
She donated enough money at EVERY venue to top off food banks for a year.
She gives money to random GoFundMes. She gave $100,000 to the family of a fire fighter who died.
She gave another $100,000 to a toddler who had cancer.
She gave away well over $200 million last year alone. And that's just what we KNOW about.
She is KIND.
She identifies fans and each year, sends a set of them Christmas presents. She looks at their Social Media to figure out what they want and buys them hand-selected gifts.
Then she WRAPS THEM HERSELF and mails them packages.
When she gave her crew bonuses, she didn't just have her accountant take care of it. She gave each of them a hand-written, personalized note.
That shows a kind of humanity that is really touching. She doesn't see employees. She sees people. You can't fake that at the end. You have to take the time to notice people and appreciate them individually throughout the year, and there were over 100 of them.
That is quite a capacity to care. Can we honestly just appreciate how big of a heart that takes? To take moments every day to NOTICE things.
I once had a venue manager tell me that when she performed at their venue she went around and introduced herself to every one of them.
She is the only act they'd ever seen do that.
She is ACCOMPLISHED
She is already one of the most successful recording artists in history, and she's only 36.
I don't care if you like her music. Her fans do. She knows her audience.
I'm a 58-year-old Gen X dude. I'm not her target audience. I can live with not everything having to be made for me.
I'm a classic rock guy. I honestly don't even know what Swift's songs are. I don't feel the need to listen to her entire library to defend her though.
She's got the receipts.
Grammys, album sales, concerts, streams--any way you want to look at it, she is one of the tops ever with years ahead of her.
She is FIERCE
And in spite of all that, she took on the MUSIC INDUSTRY and WON!
She stood up for herself, she didn't back down.
I man, you have to really appreciate what it takes to do that--especially as a woman. She literally changed the industry.
I won't go into trying to belittle Erika Kirk. There's no point in that. If you find something in her to aspire to, go for it.
But that doesn't make Taylor less of a person.
If you have a daughter who has the character of Taylor--the generosity, the kindness, and the ferocity to stand up for herself against a titan and WIN, then you have one hell of a daughter, even if she never sells an album.
If you need to drag someone down to lift someone up, that says more about you than either of them.
@LVAces 🏆🏆🏆
Always had hope for this team, even in the beginning when things were rough. Stuck to my belief all the way! Now look where we at!!!
C H A M P S!!!!!
I'M SO HAPPY AND PROUD OF THIS TEAM!
A
C
E
S
4 time M'VP for a reason!
But @LVAces...that was some clooose stuff. Trying to give me anxiety on a Wednesday night! Got me yelling at my TV, neighbors prob think we crazy! #WNBAFinals
Another angle of A’ja Wilson’s game winner to give her 34 PTS and push the @LVAces past the Mercury 90-88 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals presented by @youtubetv
The Aces are up 3-0 in the series!
TOP TIER 🪜✨
1st in Total Points
1st in Points Per Game
1st in Win Shares
1st in Offensive Win Shares
1st in Defensive Win Shares
1st in Blocks Per Game
1st in Player Efficiency Rating
1st in Defensive Rebounds
1st in 30+ Point Games
1st in 30+ Point Double-Doubles
@_ajawilson22 // #Aja4MVP
This whole thread... Pope Francis was a humble man and did not require flashy things, and accepted EVERYONE...as they are. I'm not religious, but I'm very sad he passed away. Hopefully his successor is just as amazing if not more. Rest in paradise. 🙏🏼
The standard has been set.
Now, a new class is ready to rise and make their mark alongside the league’s brightest stars. The 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm tips off tomorrow at 7:30pm/ET on ESPN.
Welcome to the W.
You voted against socialism Nebraska. You depleted your own workforce. Our vote for Harris was us telling you we cared. Now we don’t. #FAFO#NebraskaTalk