The Jackie Gleason show was not on in the afternoon when impressionable youngsters were watching.
The Jackie Gleason show was not a once a year extravaganza of so-called "talent." Your idea of a
"magnificent display of cultural fusion" was nothing more than a exhibition of nearly naked females
in skin tight costumes that left nothing to the imagination. As for the talent aspects, my guess
is that Barbara Streisand, Anne Murray and Helen Reddy could sing better at this point in their lives than
the no talent babes we saw on the superbowl.....
I've heard all of those artists live, and countless times on TV. I have seen Shakira live many times, and know her and was one of the first to play her songs in the US and Latin America. So obviously I am a personal fan of someone I have supported for 25 years.
As a programmer, I have to say that Shakira is the broadest in appeal and unquestionably the best stylist. She is a top-10 of all time seller in the US as well as all of Latin America and much of Europe. The three you mention did not do particularly well in Latin America, despite the fact that English language pop is often the best selling recorded music over the last 60 to 70 years.
And I have heard Shakira in person in "unplugged" events and she is an absolutely marvelous singer. Her vocal talent exceeds that of those you mention... something I say without demeaning any of those three. Shakira, by the way, has recently passed Streisand as the best selling female artist in history.
And all four of the Hispanic artists in the show were a wonderful representation of the culture and community of Miami, the city that hosted the game. J-Lo from New York City (and had to learn Spanish as an adult), Bad Bunny from Puerto Rico, and both Shakira and J Balvin from Colombia (although Balvin is a long-time NYC resident). Miami-Dade, likewise, is about 80% populated by Cubans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Haitians, Puerto Ricans, Nicaraguans and others from our hemisphere... so those artists were very positive representatives of the town the game was played in.
The dress was totally appropriate for the music styles and the artists involved and the climate of Miami except for people with extremely dated morals. I thought it was professional and extremely well choreographed, too.
Remember, the Super Bowl artists get paid union minimum. They do it for the honor and the opportunity to please their fans. Shakira also did the World Cup theme and presentation 10 years ago... for about four times the number of viewers.