Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

Native Americans of the Arawak (

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

) tribes who inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose for competition. One of the sports which the Taíno's played was a ball game called "Batey". The "Batey" was played in "U" shaped fields two teams; however, unlike the ball games of the modern era, the winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed. The Spanish Conquistadores who conquered the island introduced various sports such as

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

cockfighting A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

dominoes Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

and a game similar to "Bowling" called "Boliche". The Spaniards however did not participate in team sports. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States as a result of their defeat in the 1898

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. American soldiers who organized games as part of their training introduced the sport of boxing and basketball to the people of Puerto Rico. The sport of baseball, which was invented in the United States, was introduced to the island by a group of Puerto Ricans and Cubans who learned the sport in the United States. Puerto Rico participates in the Olympics as an independent nation even though it is a territory of the United States. Puerto Rico has participated as such since the 1948 Summer Olympics celebrated in London. On March 2, 1917, Puerto Ricans became citizens of the United States as a result of the enactment of the

Jones–Shafroth Act The Jones–Shafroth Act () —also known as the Jones Act of Puerto Rico, Jones Law of Puerto Rico, or as the Puerto Rican Federal Relations Act of 1917— was an Act of the United States Congress, signed by President Woodrow Wilson on March ...

(Pub.L. 64–368, 39 Stat. 951) and as such Puerto Ricans who resided in the United States mainland were and still are permitted to participate and represent that country in international sports events. However, their achievements representing the United States are part of the intertwined history of sports in the United States and Puerto Rico. The following is the list and history of the most common sports practiced in Puerto Rico and other countries and of the Puerto Ricans or people of Puerto Rican descent who have excelled in those sports locally and/or in international events as representatives of Puerto Rico or any other country.

Brief history of sports in Puerto Rico

Pre-Columbian era

The Taínos who inhabited Puerto Rico before the arrival of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

in 1492, played a series of games which were both ceremonial and diversional, such as races, contests involving body strength and fishing. However, the two most important of these sports were the simulated warrior fights (similar to the gladiators) and ball playing. The ball game was played in a field, which they called "Batey", situated in the middle of the village. The fields were either shaped like a triangle or like a "U". The ball was made of vegetable leaves, which gave it flexibility. Two teams played against each other. The objective of the game was to keep the ball in constant motion. The players were allowed to use their heads, elbows, shoulders and knees. The team would lose a point, if for any reason the ball stopped moving. The score was kept with a mark on the ground and the game would end after the losing team received a certain number of points. The winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed. The game had changed by the time the first Spanish settlers arrived. According to Fray

Bartolomé de las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( ; ; 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a 16th-century Spanish landowner, friar, priest, and bishop, famed as a historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman then became a Dominican friar ...

the game was played in the following manner: "One team served the ball and the other team returned it, using anything but the hands. If the ball arrived at shoulder height, it was returned like lightning. When it came in near the ground, the player rapidly hit the ground, striking the ball with his buttocks. Play continued from side to side until an error was made." In 1975, archaeologists from the Guaynia Society of Archeology and History at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, members of the Archeological Society of the Southwest announced the discovery of the ruins of a "Batey" in an area called Tibes, on the outskirts of the city of Ponce. A total of 9 ball fields were discovered under thick forest overgrowth dating back to AD 25 in the area which is now known as " Centro Ceremonial Indigena de Tibes" (The Tibes Indigenoius Ceremonial Center). The site is now a tourist attraction and is open to the public. Artifacts found on the site are on display and can be seen in a museum on the site and in the Ponce Museum of Art.

Spanish colonization

The first Spaniards to inhabit the island were soldiers (Conquistadores), later they were followed by farmers, miners and their families. Team sports were virtually unheard of however, there were other types of competitions and sports in which they participated. The most common sports were

and

. The first horse track was built in San Juan in 1887. One of the most popular sports was "Boliche". The men would gather in the town plaza and roll a small ball made of wood with the objective of knocking down pins. "Boliche" was similar to

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

. Another popular sport was

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

, which was limited to the larger cities of Ponce and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

American (United States) colonization

In the late 19th century "new" sports were introduced in Puerto Rico, after Puerto Rico became an American territory when the United States defeated Spain in the

. Baseball, which was invented in the United States, was introduced to the island by a group of Puerto Ricans and Cubans who learned the sport in the United States. The sport was also played by the American soldiers who organized games as part of their training. Puerto Ricans were also introduced to the sports of boxing and basketball by the occupying military forces.

Modern era

Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the Olympic Games

Puerto Rico participates in the Olympics as an independent nation but because of Puerto Ricans having American citizenship, Puerto Rican athletes have the option of representing Puerto Rico or moving to the United States, living there for 3 previous years or more and then representing that country in the games. Some Puerto Ricans, such as Gigi Fernández in tennis, have won gold medals for the U.S. The

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

celebrated in London, was a historical one for Puerto Rico because it was the first time that the island would participate as a nation in a major international sporting event. The island's delegation consisted of only three members, two of which finished among the ten best in

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

. In their regional participations, the Puerto Ricans had carried the United States flag into the games. The United States protested, claiming that two nations could not use the same flag at the same time. The decree of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

on July 25, 1952 would give the Puerto Rican delegation a flag of their own. In 1980, the United States boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR in protest of the

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

Germán Rieckehoff Germán Rieckehoff (February 5, 1915 – September 2, 1997) was a Nationalist and later President of Puerto Rican Olympic Committee. Early years Rieckehoff (birth name: Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo) was born in Vieques, Puerto Rico. He was raised ...

, who was then the president of the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, was against the boycott because he believed that politics should not get involved with sporting events. He was, therefore, denied economic support from the local government. Rieckehoff did however, manage to send one athlete to represent Puerto Rico in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

Alberto Mercado Alberto Mercado Monserrate (born January 2, 1961) is a former Jr. Featherweight boxing, boxer who was on the verge of fighting for a world title at least twice in his career. Amateur boxing career Mercado started boxing as an amateur at the ag ...

, who became the only American citizen to participate in the 1980 Olympics. In 1982, the Government of Puerto Rico, headed by then governor

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He al ...

, withheld economic support from the athletic delegation headed to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, where the Central American and Caribbean Games were going to be held. The Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, under the leadership of Rieckehoff, had to appeal directly to the people for donations and were able to send the delegation. The Puerto Rican Olympic Committee is also the organization in charge of selecting the Puerto Rican athletes which represent the island in the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

and the Central American and Caribbean Games. The

Puerto Rican national baseball team The Puerto Rico national baseball team ( es, Selección de béisbol de Puerto Rico) is the national baseball team of Puerto Rico. The men's senior team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Puerto Rico is the incumbent Baseball at the 2019 Pan ...

won a bronze medal at the

1988 Summer Olympic Games The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

in Seoul, South Korea, but that medal is not counted among Puerto Rico's Olympic medals totals because baseball was only an exhibition sport during those games. The

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

, officially known as the "XV Olympic Winter Games", was celebrated in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

between February 13 and 28. It was the first Winter Olympics ever held in Canada. It was also the first time that a Puerto Rican team was sent to represent the island in an Olympic ski competition. No Puerto Rican had ever skied in the Olympics. The six-person Puerto Rican ski team was made up of native Puerto Ricans. They were Félix Flechas, Walter Sandza, Kevin Wilson, his sister Mary Pat Wilson and Jason Edelmann. Mary Pat Wilson is Puerto Rico's first and only female Olympic skier. Even though the team did not do well in the competition, they were highly respected by their competitors. Since then. Puerto Rico has participated in all but three of the Winter Olympic Games, missing those of 2006, 2010, and 2014.

Kristina Brandi Kristina Brandi (born March 29, 1977) is a former Puerto Rican tennis player. She was the first tennis player representing Puerto Rico to win a singles match in an Olympic tennis tournament. Some of Brandi's career highlights: She achieved her b ...

represented Puerto Rico in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. She became the first tennis player representing Puerto Rico to win a singles match in an Olympic when she beat

Jelena Kostanić Jelena, also written Yelena and Elena, is a Slavic given name. It is a Slavicized form of the Greek name Helen, which is of uncertain origin. Diminutives of the name include Jelica, Jelka, Jele, Jela, Lena, Lenotschka, Jeca, Lenka, and Alena. Nota ...

from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

(7–5 and 6–1). She lost in the second round to Russian

Anastasia Myskina Anastasia Andreyevna Myskina ( rus, Анастасия Андреевна Мыскина ; born 8 July 1981) is a Russian former professional tennis player. Myskina won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian woman to wi ...

. At the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

in Rio de Janeiro,

Monica Puig Monica Puig Marchán, (born September 27, 1993) is a Puerto Rican former professional tennis player. She is the first Puerto Rican in history to win a gold medal at the Olympics while representing Puerto Rico, having done so in 2016 at the ...

made Olympic history when she became the first person to win an Olympic gold medal for Puerto Rico by defeating Germany's

Angelique Kerber Angelique Kerber (; born 18 January 1988) is a German professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 1, for a total of 34 weeks, and won three major titles at the 2016 Australian Open, the 2016 US Open, and the 2018 Wim ...

in the women's singles tennis final. She became the first Puerto Rican female medalist in any sport. On August 2, 2021,

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (born August 21, 1996) is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became the first Puerto Rican of Afro-Latino descent and the second person repre ...

won Puerto Rico's second Olympic Gold Medal. She won the medal in the Women's 100m Hurdles in the Olympic games which were celebrated in Tokyo, Japan.

Olympics medalists

The following table has a list of Puerto Ricans, including people of Puerto Rican ancestry, who won Olympic medals. "Puerto Rican" is a term also used to describe a resident of the United States who was "born in Puerto Rico or who traces their family ancestry to Puerto Rico." Not all represented the island, some represented the United States. Puerto Ricans have won a total of 38 Olympic medals, 28 representing the United States and 10 representing Puerto Rico. Notes: Notes:

Puerto Rico at the Paralympic Games

Puerto Rico debuted in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

. In this event,

Isabel Bustamante Isabel Bustamante is a Puerto Rican paralympic athlete. At the 1988 Summer Paralympics, she became the first Puerto Rican athlete to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games, Olympic or Paralympic Games competition while competing for Puerto Rico. Bu ...

was awarded the first medals for the delegation, winning one gold and two silver medals in athletics. In the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

, Alexis Pizarro became the first male athlete to win a medal for Puerto Rico, reaching bronze in athletics. Pizarro repeated this performance in the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

. On August 20, 2008,

David Bernier David Enrique "Quique" Bernier Rivera (; born January 21, 1977) is a Puerto Rican dentist and politician that has served in various roles in public service in Puerto Rico. Bernier first served as executive director of the Office of Youth ...

awarded the flag of Puerto Rico to Nilda Gómez, who was selected to be the flag bearer in the opening ceremonies of the

2008 Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It wa ...

. Three athletes that registered A-marks attended the ceremony, which also included Alexis Pizarro in athletics and Julio Reguero in sailing. Puerto Rico's first medal in this edition of the Paralympics was won by Gómez, who won bronze in

rifle shooting Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms suc ...

. She won bronze in the 10-meter trial, finishing with 489 points.

Puerto Rico at the Special Olympics

Puerto Rico's Special Olympics program was founded in 1970, since then it has offered services to more than a thousand athletes. In the

2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games ) , Nations participating = 166 , Athletes participating = , Events = 23 sports , Opening ceremony = , Closing ceremony = , Officially opened by = Mary McAleese and Nelson Mandela , Torch Lighter ...

, Puerto Rico won 57 medals. Puerto Rico won a total of 34 medals in the

2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games ) , Nations participating = 165 , Athletes participating = 7291 , Events = 25 sports , Opening ceremony = October 2 , Closing ceremony = October 11 , Officially opened by = Hu Jintao , Athlete's Oath = ...

, including 7 gold, 18 silver and 9 bronze medals. Due to the team's performance, the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...

organized a ceremony where the athletes and trainers received recognitions.

Distribution and practice among sports

American football

Ron Rivera Ronald Eugene Rivera (born January 7, 1962), nicknamed "Riverboat Ron", is an American football head coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He attended the University of California, Berkeley in the early 1980 ...

became the first

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player of Puerto Rican descent when he played for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the 1980s. In 1986, Rivera also became the first NFL player of Puerto Rican descent to win a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

championship ring. Others who have played in the NFL are O.J. Santiago of the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

Marco Rivera Marco Anthony Rivera (born April 26, 1972) is a former American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Penn State University. Early years Rivera attended E ...

who played for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

and who in 2002 became the first Puerto Rican to play in the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

as a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

(the first of three appearances) and

Glenn Martinez Glenn Martínez (born November 30, 1981, in Auburndale, Florida) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State Universi ...

who in 2005 played for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Ken Amato Kenneth Carlos Amato (born May 18, 1977) is a former American football long snapper and current defensive assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to his coaching career, he spent nine seasons as a long ...

who played for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

and Alvin Pearman who played with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

are of Puerto Rican descent. Willie Colon who was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in 2006 and won

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

is also of Puerto Rican descent.

Aaron Hernandez Aaron Josef Hernandez (November 6, 1989 April 19, 2017) was an American football tight end. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the New England Patriots until his career came to an abrupt end after his arrest ...

, formerly of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, was also of Puerto Rican descent. Victor Cruz, another player of Puerto Rican descent, played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and was known for his salsa touchdown dance. While all of these players are of Puerto Rican descent, there has yet to be a Puerto Rican born NFL player. American Football has been played in the island for many decades, dating all the way back to the installment of American military bases. Puerto Rico currently has 4 football leagues. PR Pee Wee league, for children 8-16, PRHSFL, for high school students, the newly created AFAF, for college students, and PRAFL, a semi-professional league. Although football has been in the island for so many years, it is not widely known. Many things attribute to this, for example lack of proper funding and advertising, lack of high school affiliated teams, both attributing to lack of good coaching. In July 2012, the Puerto Rico American Football Federation became a member of the

International Federation of American Football The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of gridiron associations. The IFAF oversees the IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years. The IFAF became a prov ...

. Pee Wee Football League This federation has 4 divisions, with areas in: Baldrich, Parque Central, University Gardens, Parkville, Ft. Buchanan, Carolina, and lastly Caguas.prpeewee
/ref> The league is played from January to March at "El Complejo Deportivo Roberto Clemente" in San Juan Saturday mornings. The following is a table with the years and weight distribution for each division: PRHSFL This league has 6 Varsity teams and 3 teams at Junior Varsity level. the league is made up of 2 schools, Antilles High School Pirates, and Commonwealth Comets, and four clubs, Carolina Blittz, Bayamón Wolfpack, University Garden Dolphins, and Parque Central Blue Wave. AFAF This league was founded in 2009 to rival the PRAFL and to one day be a part of local college athletics. There are four teams, Cataño Gators, San Juan Hurricanes, Carolina Blittz, and Baldrige Falcons. PRAFL ( Puerto Rico American Football League) A semi-professional league founded in 1985, with 5 teams. The Bayamón Wolfpack, Baldrich 57 Falcons, Carolina Blitzz, Cataño Lancheros, and Fajardo Cariduros. The Cataño Lancheros were the 2011 PRAFL Champions.

Baseball

Early history of baseball in Puerto Rico

During the late 19th century Puerto Rico was to witness the introduction of organized team sports. The game of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

was first introduced to the island by a group of Puerto Ricans and Cubans who had learned the game in the United States. At first the sport was not well received by the local press and general public, it was looked upon as a silly game. The first two baseball clubs were founded in 1897. They were the Almendares Baseball Club, owned by Francisco Alamo Armas and the Borinquen Baseball Club owned by Santos Filippi. Béisbol en Puerto Rico
/ref> According to the daily newspaper ''El País'', on January 11, 1898, the first organized baseball game was played in Puerto Rico at the old velodrome which was located at the Pda.15 in Santurce, San Juan. The Borinquen team beat the Almendares with a score of 3 to 0. The first game to go a complete nine innings was played on January 30, 1898 and the Borinquen once again beat the Almendares with a score of 9 to 3. Puerto Rico became an American territory when the United States defeated Spain in the

. The American soldiers stationed in Puerto Rico were permitted to organize a baseball club to play against the local clubs as diversional outlet. On November 4, 1900 the Almendares Baseball Club composed of Puerto Ricans and Cubans beat the American Baseball Club of the Second Regiment of Infantry with a score of 32 to 18. In the early 1920s, teams from Puerto Rico, such as the San Juan Stars, would travel to New York City and play against some of teams there which included teams made up of Puerto Ricans who lived there. Modern era Puerto Rico has over 100

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

players who are currently active, in addition to the hundreds others who have participated in the past. These facts combine to make baseball one of the most popular sports in the island. Some of the most notable baseball players from Puerto Rico are five Hall of Famers

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...

Orlando Cepeda Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes (; born September 17, 1937), nicknamed "the Baby Bull" and "Peruchin", is a Puerto Rican former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for six teams from 1958 to 1974, primarily the San Francisco Giants. A ...

Roberto Alomar Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizon ...

, Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez and

Edgar Martinez Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

. Another baseball player who is a Hall of Famer and who was born to a Puerto Rican father is Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson. Also amongst the notable players or former players are Jose "Cheo" Cruz, Juan González,

Victor Pellot Victor Felipe Pellot (November 1, 1927November 29, 2005), also known professionally as Vic Power, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball first baseman. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia / Kansas Cit ...

Jorge Posada Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Posada recorded a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and ...

and

Bernie Williams Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and a musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees from 1991 through 2006. ...

. Chronological order of major events Orlando Cepeda 1962

* On January 11, 1898, the first organized baseball game is played in Puerto Rico between the Borinquen team and the Almendares team. The Borinquen won 3 to 0. * In 1928, Emilio "Millito" Navarro of the Cuban Stars became the first Puerto Rican to play in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

* In 1942,

Hiram Bithorn Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa (March 18, 1916 – December 29, 1951) was a professional right-handed pitcher who became the first baseball player from Puerto Rico to play in Major League Baseball. Standing and weighing about , Bithorn was a hard ...

of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

became the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues. * In 1949,

Luis Olmo Luis Olmo (August 11, 1919 – April 28, 2017) was a major league baseball outfielder and right-handed batter. Olmo played in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943–45, 1949) and Boston Braves (1950–51). Early years Olmo (birth name: Lu ...

(''El "Jíbaro" Olmos'') of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

became the first Puerto Rican to play in a

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

game and the first one to hit a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and to get three

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, in the same game. * In 1951, Puerto Rico won its first and only

Baseball World Cup The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two activ ...

. * In 1954, Rubén Gómez of the

became the first Puerto Rican to pitch in a World Series game and the first one to receive a

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

. * In 1972,

of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

became the first Hispanic to reach 3,000 hits in what would prove to be his career's final at-bat. * In 1973, following his death in a plane crash, Clemente became the first Puerto Rican born player to be enshrined in the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

. * In 1984,

Willie Hernández Guillermo Hernández Villanueva (born November 14, 1954) is a Puerto Rican former baseball relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed becaus ...

of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

became the first Puerto Rican to win both the AL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

and the AL MVP Award. * In 1992, José "Cheo" Cruz was honored by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

when his #25 was retired by the team. * In 1993, Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson, whose father is Puerto Rican, was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. * In 1995,

Leon Day Leon Day (October 30, 1916 – March 13, 1995) was an American professional baseball pitcher who spent the majority of his career in the Negro leagues. Recognized as one of the most versatile athletes in the league during his prime, Day could p ...

, a Pitcher in the Negro leagues who played for "Los Tiburones de Aguadilla" the "Aguadilla Sharks" was inducted into the Hall of Fame. His love for the island is reflected in the fact that he is the only Hall of Famer to be enshrined with a cap of a team outside the mainland United States; his plaque depicts him as a "Aguadilla Shark". * In 1999, Orlando "Peruchin" Cepeda became the second Puerto Rican born player to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. * In 2001, Major League Baseball history was made when Opening Day was in

at the

Hiram Bithorn Stadium Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn) is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. It is operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name ho ...

with a game between the Texas Rangers and the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. * In 2003 as well as 2004, the former

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

played 22 home games each year at

, before moving to Washington, D.C. and becoming the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. * In 2011,

became the third Puerto Rican born player to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. * In 2017, Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez became the fourth Puerto Rican born player to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. * In 2018,

Alex Cora Jose Alexander Cora (born October 18, 1975) is a Puerto Rican baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 14 seasons with the Red Sox, Los Angeles ...

became the first Puerto Rican to manage a World Series winning team when the Boston Red Sox defeated the LA Dodgers. * In 2019,

became the fifth Puerto Rican born player to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Currently

Puerto Rico has a winter baseball league named the

Puerto Rico Baseball League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

that has operated since the early 20th century. The champion of the Puerto Rico league represents Puerto Rico is in the annual

Caribbean World Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

. It currently has six teams: *

Lobos de Arecibo Lobos de Arecibo ( en, Wolves) were a professional baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, based in Arecibo. The Lobos won the 1983 national baseball championship and the 1983 Caribbean World Series, the only time the fran ...

(

Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, the ...

''Wolves'') * Criollos de Caguas (

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded ...

''Creoles'') * Gigantes de Carolina ( Carolina ''Giants'') *

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...

( Mayagüez ''Indians'') * Leones de Ponce ( Ponce ''Lions'') * Cangrejeros de Santurce ( Santurce ''Crabbers'') The

Puerto Rico national baseball team The Puerto Rico national baseball team ( es, Selección de béisbol de Puerto Rico) is the national baseball team of Puerto Rico. The men's senior team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Puerto Rico is the incumbent Baseball at the 2019 Pan ...

competes in international events, including the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

, separately from the United States.

in San Juan has hosted first-round games in each of the first three World Baseball Classic tournaments.

Basketball

Early history of basketball in Puerto Rico

The United States military government banned cockfighting and bullfighting from the island. They did, however, introduce a "new" sport called basketball. Basketball was used by the American soldiers as part of their physical training. When the soldiers played basketball, they used a plain straw basket which was cut open at both ends and placed it on the highest end of a pole. For a ball, they used a football and the game was played without any established set of rules.El Baloncesto llegó a Puerto Rico a raiz de la guerra Hispanoamericana
/ref> In 1913, the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

of Puerto Rico organized the first game played using the official rules of basketball and in 1916, the YMCA organized the first basketball tournament in Puerto Rico. Teams organized in the other YMCAs in the island participated in the tournament. The first basketball organization in Puerto Rico was the San Juan Basketball League.

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and Bayamón later followed and formed their own leagues. Basketball became a popular sport in Puerto Rico, due in part to the BSN, which has been around since the 1930s. During the early 1980s, with many games shown on television, the sport's popularity increased. There is also a women's professional league, which is affiliated to the BSN.

Street basketball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

is also popular among Puerto Rico's youth. Chronological order of major events *In 1913, the first game of basketball was played in Puerto Rico. *In 1916, the first basketball tournament in Puerto Rico was organized. * Alfred "Butch" Lee, a member of the 1976 Olympic basketball team, became the first Puerto Rican in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

when in 1978 he was drafted by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. Lee was also the first Puerto Rican to play on the NBA play-offs as a member of the 1979–80

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He was awarded an NBA Championship ring, even though he did not participate in that season's

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

because of his injuries. * José Ortiz "Piculin" was signed by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

in 1988. *In 1988,

Ramón Rivas Juan Ramón Rivas Contreras (born March 16, 1966
basketball-reference.com) is a Puerto Rican retired professional ...

followed Ortiz two weeks later, being signed by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. *

Dick Versace Richard Patrick Versace (April 16, 1940 – February 25, 2022) was an American basketball coach and executive. He was also the first American of Puerto Rican descent to have coached a National Basketball Association (NBA) team. Early life Versace ...

became the first person of Puerto Rican descent to coach an NBA team in 1988. He was the head coach of the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

from 1988 to 1990. *In 1989,

Ramón Ramos Ramón Luis Ramos Manso (born November 20, 1967) is a Puerto Rican former basketball player. He began his career in the early 1980s with Indios de Canóvanas, then played college basketball at Seton Hall University. Ramos was signed as an undraft ...

was signed by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, but he never played because of a life-changing accident. *In 2000,

Daniel Santiago Daniel Gregg Santiago (born June 24, 1976) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player. A center, he had a collegiate career in the NCAA and NAIA. His professional career saw him play in the NBA, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional of ...

was signed to play for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. *In 2001,

Carlos Arroyo Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez (born July 30, 1979) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player, and reggaeton singer. Arroyo had previously played in the National Basketball Association with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, U ...

was signed by the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. *In 2004, Puerto Rico's national basketball team became the first team to defeat the United States team in the Olympic competitions of Athens. *In 2011,

José Juan Barea José Juan Barea Mora (born June 26, 1984) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for Northeastern University before joining the Mavericks in 2006 and becoming only the seventh Puerto Ric ...

became the first Puerto Rican to play in the NBA Finals for a championship-winning team, the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. *In 2015,

Carla Cortijo Carla Cortijo Sánchez (born July 21, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns women's basketball, Texas Longhorns and the Puerto Rico women's national basketball team, Puer ...

became the first Puerto Rican born female to play in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). Her position in the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...

was that of guard. *In 2016,

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...

, whose father is Puerto Rican, won his third Olympic Gold Medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as member of the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team. *The

Maurice Harkless played for the Puerto Rican National Team in 2016 and

Shabazz Napier Shabazz Bozie Napier (born July 14, 1991) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 24th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA draf ...

also with Portland has been in multiple talks since 2012 about joining Puerto Rico's national team.

International Puerto Rican Basketball players

Puerto Rico's national basketball team has reached the Olympic Games multiple times, including the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, where they became the first team to defeat the United States

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

during Olympic competition. Puerto Rico's national team has won gold medals in other international competitions. Puerto Ricans have also been members of the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

. In 1995,

Orlando Antigua Orlando Radhames Antigua Fernández (born February 20, 1973), nicknamed "Hurricane", is a former Dominican-American basketball player and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky under John Calipari. He is widely known as be ...

, whose mother is Puerto Rican, became the first non-black in 52 years to play for the

. In 2008,

Orlando Melendez Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

a.k.a. "El Gato" became the first Puerto Rican-born player and the second Hispanic to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Bobsled

Puerto Rico had a Bobsled team in the 1992, 1994 and 1998

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

Boxing

Early history of boxing in Puerto Rico

The sport of

was also introduced by the United States military which occupied Puerto Rico and the same as Basketball, boxing was used by the American soldiers as part of their physical training. Boxing competitions amongst the soldiers were open to the public. The first boxing match in Puerto Rico was held on January 15, 1899. Boxing has, for many years, disputed the top spot for the Puerto Rican fan's favorite sport with Baseball and Basketball. Puerto Ricans have distinguished themselves both as amateurs and professionals. In 1917,

Nero Chen Nero Chen (–1924), a.k.a. ''El Negro,'' was Puerto Rico's first professional boxer to gain international recognition. Boxing career Little is known about Chen's early years except that "Nero Chen" was his nickname, and that he was born in Puer ...

became the first Puerto Rican professional boxer to gain international recognition."Pioneros Puertorriqueños en Nueva York"; by Joaquin Colon Lopez; pages: 229, 230; Publisher: Arte Publico Press (November 2001); ; Puerto Rico has also been the site of many championship fights.

Boxing in the Olympics

In 1948, boxer

Juan Evangelista Venegas Juan Evangelista Venegas (December 27, 1928 – April 16, 1987) was a Puerto Rican boxer notable for winning Puerto Rico's first Olympic medal. Early years Venegas (birth name: Juan Evangelista Venegas Trinidad) was born in an underprivileg ...

earned Puerto Rico's first Olympic medal, finishing his participation in London with a bronze medal that year. Subsequently, Puerto Rico has earned five more medals in Olympic boxing, including a silver one by Luis Ortiz in 1984. That silver medal is the only silver medal ever won by any Puerto Rican native at Olympic Games. Although he did not win a medal,

became, in 1980, the only American citizen to actually participate in the

Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

Professional boxing

There are thirteen Puerto Ricans in the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...

, they are Puerto Rico's first world champion

Sixto Escobar Sixto Escobar (March 23, 1913 – November 17, 1979) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion. Escobar was born in Barceloneta and raised in San Juan. There he r ...

Wilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...

Wilfredo Gómez Wilfredo Gómez RiveraCarlos Ortíz,

Edwin Rosario Edwin "Chapo" Rosario Rivera (; March 15, 1963 – December 1, 1997) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 1997. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC lightweight title from 1983 to 1984, ...

Pedro Montañez Pedro Montañez (April 24, 1914 – June 26, 1996) was a Boxing, boxer from Cayey, Puerto Rico. Also known as ''El Torito De Cayey'' (''The Little Bull of Cayey''), he has been considered by many to be one of the best boxing, boxers in history ' ...

, José Chegui Torres,

Joe Cortez Joe Cortez (born October 13, 1945) is an American former boxing referee who has officiated in many important world title bouts. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. Biography Cortez is of Puerto Rican descent. H ...

(referee), Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick, Felix "Tito" Trinidad,

Hector "Macho" Camacho In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Mario Rivera Martino is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cr ...

(writer) and

Miguel Cotto Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, ...

. Benítez (The youngest champion in boxing's history) as of May 23, 1981, was the youngest three-time world champion after knocking out World Junior Middleweight champion

Maurice Hope Maurice Hope (born 6 December 1951) is a British former boxer, who was world junior middleweight champion. Born in Antigua, he grew up in Hackney, London. He represented Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Boxin ...

. Hardwick, was a member of the feared " Black Murderers' Row".International Boxing Hall of Fame
/ref> The late Mario Rivera Martino, served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner. Other boxers from Puerto Rico which have excelled in the sport include: Carlos De Leon,

Ossie Ocasio Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio (born August 12, 1955) is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the world cruiserweight championship. Nicknamed "Jaws", his peculiar nickname was the result of him accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring sessio ...

Alfredo Escalera Alfredo "El Salsero" Escalera (born March 21, 1952) is a Puerto Rican who was a world champion boxer. A native of Carolina, his nickname was "Salsero" because he was a fan of Salsa music. Early boxing career Escalera had his first professiona ...

Belinda Laracuente Belinda Laracuente (born 1980) is a women's boxing competitor from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where she lived from 1989 to 1998. Her nickname is ''Brown Sugar''. Laracuente debuted as a professional boxer on 12 February 1997 in a match against Kar ...

John Ruiz John Ruiz (born January 4, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2010, and held the WBA heavyweight title twice between 2001 and 2005. Ruiz is of Puerto Rican descent, and is the first Latino boxer to win a wo ...

who made history by becoming boxing's first Latin American world Heavyweight champion ever, after beating WBA world champ

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the on ...

, Alex Sánchez,

Samuel Serrano Samuel Serrano (born November 17, 1952) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1984 and made a two-fight comeback from 1996 to 1997. He was a two-time super featherweight world champion, having held the WBA title ...

Amanda Serrano Amanda Serrano (born October 9, 1988) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. As a boxer, she is the unified featherweight world champion, having held the WBO title since 2019 and the WBC and IBO ...

(no relation),

Ada Vélez Ada "Ace" Vélez (born September 15, 1969) is a Puerto Rican female professional boxer from Dania Beach, Florida who lives in Miami. Vélez was brought into boxing by former women's boxing world champion Bonnie Canino. After a successful undefe ...

, who is the first Puerto Rican

Women's boxing Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses ...

world champion and Jose Miguel Cotto. In 2006, Puerto Rican Miguel Santana made boxing history by becoming the fighter who waited the longest after a title bout to have a losing world title bout recognized as a mistake by a major organization. The IBF recognized Santana's challenge of IBF Lightweight champion

Greg Haugen Greg Lee Haugen (born August 31, 1960) is a retired American boxer. Haugen was champion at both the lightweight and light welterweight classes. He trained under Jim Montgomery. Haugen turned pro in 1982 and won his first 17 fights before challen ...

(who originally beat Santana by an eleventh round technical decision) as erroneous because of a fight-fixing and betting scandal that took place during the era the contest happened, and gave Santana a special recognition. Chronological order of major events * On January 15, 1899, the first boxing match was held in Puerto Rico. * In 1917,

became the first Puerto Rican professional boxer to gain international recognition. * In May 1927, boxing was legalized in Puerto Rico by an order signed by US appointed governor Horace Mann Towner. *On June 26, 1934,

became the first Puerto Rican to win an undisputed world championship *On June 11, 1937, Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick, a Welterweight, became the first Hispanic to win a title in the World Colored Championships. *In 1948, boxer

earned Puerto Rico's first Bronze Olympic medal. *In 1956,

José Torres José ("Chegüi") Torres (May 3, 1936 – January 19, 2009) was a Puerto Rican-born American professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he ...

won a Silver Olympic Medal for the United States at the junior middleweight division at the Olympics held in Melbourne. *In 1972,

Esteban De Jesús Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend t ...

won a ten-round decision, in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, over undefeated Lightweight champion

Roberto Durán Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, as wel ...

in a televised bout. *On September 1, 1973, José Roman made sports history by becoming the first Puerto Rican to fight for the World Heavyweight title when he fought and lost to World Heavyweight champion

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. *On February 20, 1976, the first Heavyweight title fight in Puerto Rico was celebrated in San Juan between Muhammad Ali and Jean Coopman, Ali being the victor. *On March 6, 1976,

became the youngest world champion in history at 17 years old. *On May 21, 1977, Wilfredo Gómez won the WBC Super Bantamweight Championship. He eventually had a streak of 32 knockouts in a row. *In 1980,

represented Puerto Rico in the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Olympics. He was the only "American" citizen to actually participate in those Olympics. *On November 25, 1980,

Carlos De León Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

became the first Latin to be world's Cruiserweight champion. *On January 30, 1982, Wilfred Benítez outpointed legendary fighter

over 15 rounds. *On December 3, 1982, the only time Wilfred Benítez and Wilfredo Gómez fight on the same program, Gomez defeats

Lupe Pintor José Guadalupe Pintor Guzmán (born 13 April 1955), better known as Lupe Pintor, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1995. He won the WBC bantamweight title in 1979 after defeating Carlos Zárate Serna, and made e ...

by a knockout in 14 rounds, while Benitez lasts 15 rounds with

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowed ...

, but loses by decision. *On May 20, 1983,

outpoints

Jose Luis Ramirez Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

over 12 rounds by unanimous decision (three judges scoring the bout 115-113) to win the vacant World Boxing Council's Lightweight title, his first of three reigns as world Lightweight champion and four world championship reigns overall. *In 1984, Luis Ortiz earned Puerto Rico's first Silver Olympic medal. *In 1991, Carlos Ortiz became the first Puerto Rican inducted into the

. *In 1994, Wilfred Benítez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 1995, Wilfredo Gómez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 1997, José Torres was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *On January 19, 2001,

became the first Puerto Rican to win a women's world boxing championship. *On March 3, 2001,

became the first Hispanic to be crowned Heavyweight champion of the world after beating

. *In 2002, Sixto Escobar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 2006, Edwin Rosario was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 2007, Pedro Montañez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 2011,

became the first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the

*On June 10, 2012, Herbert Lewis Hardwick a.k.a. "Cocoa Kid" was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *On June 4, 2014, Félix "Tito" Trinidad was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 2016,

Hector Camacho In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

, a.k.a. Hector "Macho" Camacho, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. *In 2018, the late Mario Rivera Martino, became the first Puerto Rican boxing sports writer and commissioner to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Among the international boxers who fought in Puerto Rico in a title bout are

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, and

Alexis Argüello Alexis Argüello (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA featherweight title from 1974 to 19 ...

. The 1970s became known in Puerto Rico as ''the golden era of Borinquen's (Puerto Rico's) Boxing''.

Cockfights

Unlike in most states of the United States,

was legal in Puerto Rico until 2018, and there are many places that draw large crowds to see bantams fighting every weekend. It is known as the Gentleman's Sport due to the common practice of wagers being a verbal contract between two individuals and may range from $1 to thousands of dollars. Across the world, Puerto Rico has been seen as the largest capital for the controversial sport, as it is incredibly popular and often televised as other sports are.

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

s are specially bred to fight, first entering the ring between one and two years of age. In 2018, the United States announced that it would ban cockfights in all its territories, including Puerto Rico. The ban began in January 2019.

Equestrian

The sport of equestrianism has certain popularity in Puerto Rico, more so among members of higher classes. Puerto Rico frequently sends contestants to different international tournaments, such as the Olympics. On August 16, 2003,

Mark Watring Mark Watring (born May 2, 1963), is a Puerto Rican equestrian who in 2003, won a gold medal in the Pan American Games. Early years Watring was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where he was raised. Watring's father was a soldier stationed at Ram ...

l from the town of Aguadilla, represented the United States in the

celebrated in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. There he won the "Gold Medal" with a final total of 13.66 penalties compared to the 21.87 posted by Mexico. When presented with the Gold Medal, Watring unfurled and waved the Puerto Rican Flag. This win secured a berth in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Watring represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics.

Fencing

Fencing in Puerto Rico has become popular ever since David "Kike" Bernier, Victor Bernier and the brothers Jonathan and Marcos Peña have won medals in the 2003

celebrated in the

.Mirthescka Escanellas was also a popular Puerto Rican fencer. She participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, among many other international events.

Golf

While golf is not very popular in Puerto Rico, there are many golf courses across the island such as the one at Club Deportivo del Oeste. The most famous Puerto Rican golfer is Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992. Rodríguez used to put his hat over the hole whenever he made a Golf glossary, birdie or Golf glossary, eagle. After he heard that other golfers were complaining about his little act, he decided to try something new. Rodríguez developed his signature "Torero (bullfighter), toreador dance", where he would make believe that the birdie was a "bull" and that his Golf club (equipment)#Club types, putter was a "sword" and he would terminate the "bull". Rodríguez represented Puerto Rico on 12 World Cup (men's golf), World Cup teams. In 1986, he won the Hispanic Recognition Award. In 1988, he was named "Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year".

Horse racing

Horse Racing is a sport which was first introduced to Puerto Rico by the Conquistadores. Horse Races continue to be a very popular sport in Puerto Rico til this day. During the earlier part of the 20th. century, races were held at El Comandante race track. Since 1972, ''El Nuevo Comandante'' now called "Hipodromo Camarero", in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, Canóvanas, has been the home of Puerto Rico's Sunday horse races, and of the annual ''Clasico del Caribe'', a race that reunites important horses from many countries. Notable jockeys include Miguel Rivera (jockey), Miguel A. Rivera, who won the 1974 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, 1974 Belmont Stakes aboard Little Current, and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member, Angel Cordero, Jr. Cordero is one of the leading thoroughbred

jockeys of all time in terms of wins. He was the first and only Puerto Rican jockey to win all three of the American Classic Races which consist of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Two of the most famous horses in Puerto Rican history were Camarero, a world record holder for consecutive wins, and 1976 Kentucky Derby winner, Bold Forbes.

Road running

Road running have long been a part of Puerto Rico's sporting tradition. Many important races are run annually in the island, including the ''Maraton de San Blas'' in Coamo, Puerto Rico, Coamo, long considered one of the most important half marathon races in the world, and the Ponce Marathon. The World's Best 10K (WB10K), also known as ''Maratón Teodoro Moscoso'', is a 10K run celebrated in San Juan, Puerto Rico every year. It is certified by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) and by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). The event was also the first race transmitted live through the Internet, with audio, video and results. WB10K was ranked among the 20 most competitive races in the world. Notable marathon runners include: Jorge González (athlete), Jorge "Peco" González and Hunga Maldonado.

Martial arts

Martial arts sports, especially karate, have had a marked ascent in popularity in Puerto Rico since the 1970s, when Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies were very popular among Puerto Rico's youth.

Olympic-style wrestling

Jaime Espinal won a silver medal for Puerto Rico at the 84 kg Men's freestyle category at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, earning Puerto Rico its second ever silver medal at the Olympics, its first since boxer Luis Ortiz in 1984, and its first Olympic medal in wrestling.

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling has enjoyed much popularity in Puerto Rico for a long time. Matches have been televised since the 1960s, and multiple, non televised matches are held each week across the island. World Wrestling Council is the main wrestling promoter in Puerto Rico. Famous Puerto Rican wrestlers have included Barrabas, Carlos Colón, Sr., Carlos Colón and his sons, Carlito Colón, Carlito and Primo Colon, ''Los Invaders'', Savio Vega, WWF* Hall of Famer Pedro Morales, and ''Los Super Medicos''. In addition, many World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, formerly WWF) stars, such as Randy Savage, and Ric Flair fought in Puerto Rico before. Women's wrestling has been gaining popularity in Puerto Rico since the 1990s with performers like La Tigresa, and Black Rose. Two Puerto Ricans have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. They are Pedro Morales (1995) and Carlos Colon (2014).

Sailing

Sailing as a sport has picked up in popularity in Puerto Rico since the middle 1990s, under the leadership of Enrique Figueroa and his wife, Carla Malatrasi. The pair have combined to win many international medals, and they competed at the 2000 Olympic Games. Figueroa also participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics, 1992 Olympics. On February 2, 2004, Figueroa and teammate Jorge Hernández, won the Olympic Games Rolex Regatta. They were named champions by topping 29 entries in the tornado fleet. The regatta winners had their sights set on the 2004 Olympic Games, 2004 Olympics and Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. 503 sailors participated with a fleet of 323 boats representing 39 nations. Figueroa went to the 2004 Olympic Games and represented Puerto Rico.

Fútbol (Soccer)

The sport known as "soccer" in the United States, is also known and referred to as "Fútbol" or in the Spanish language as "balompié". Islanderspuertorico

Puerto Rico has a Puerto Rico Soccer League which is sponsored by the Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol. Fútbol, unlike in many of the other Latin American countries, mainly because of the strong American culture influence on the Island, did not enjoy high popularity during the 20th century. But since the new millennium it has slowly increased its fan base on the island. Puerto Rico has a FIFA sponsored federation, the Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol and a Senior National Team which is ranked 106 by FIFA. Puerto Rico has only made it as far as the second round or regional play for a World Cup Qualifier, this was in 2008 when it beat

1-0 in the first round and lost against Honduras in the second round with an aggregate score of 6-2. Puerto Rico currently has a professional league called the Puerto Rico Soccer League which was founded in 2008 and is composed of 8 teams. It also had the Puerto Rico Islanders, which played in the North American Soccer League (2010), North American Soccer League, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team has been defunct since 2012; however, in June 2015 a new NASL team, Puerto Rico FC, was announced. In 2017, Puerto Rico Sol became the first women's pro soccer club in the Caribbean. The following are among the players who have played for Puerto Rico: Héctor Ramos, Alexis Rivera Curet, Andrés Cabrero. There are several other Puerto Rican players or players of Puerto Rican descent playing abroad in foreign leagues.

Softball

Women's softball has enjoyed certain popularity in Puerto Rico. The women's national softball team has won many international events and participated at many Olympics. Lisa Fernandez has represented the United States as member of the U.S. Women's Olympic Softball Team, winning gold medals in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. She established a women's softball record when she struck out 25 members of the women's Australian Olympic Softball Team. Ivelisse Echevarría who in 2003 was inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame is also considered by many to be the greatest pitcher born in Puerto Rico. Ten Puerto Ricans have been inducted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame so far. The ten Puerto Ricans in International Softball Federation Hall of Fame are: Juan Pachot, Carlos Velasquez Class of 1997; Ismael "Chavalillo" Delgado, Jorge Tanco, Alejandro Cruz (politician), Alejandro "Junior" Cruz Class of 1993 and Ivelisse Echevarria, Betty Segarra, Clara Vazquez, Jose "Tuto" Agosto, Rafi Serrano Class of 2003.

Swimming (competitive)

Jesse Vassallo, Jesus "Jesse" Vassallo is considered by many to be the greatest swimmer to have been born in Puerto Rico. In 1997, he became the first and so far the only Puerto Rican to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He currently heads the Puerto Rico Swimming Federation. In 1966, 17-year-old Anita Lallande set a new record in the Central American and Caribbean Games celebrated in San Juan, when she won a total of 10 gold medals. Fernando Cañales was a 100-meter freestyle finalist in the 1978 Berlin World Championships, earning a 5th place. He was the "first" Puerto Rican swimmer to final in the World Championships. He earned 5 gold medals and 1 silver medal during the 1978 Central American Championships in Medellín, Colombia. He became the first Puerto Rican to medal in the

by winning silver in the 100 meters free in 1979 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and repeating that feat in 1983 (Caracas, Venezuela). Maritza Correia, is the first black Puerto Rican woman in history to make the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team. She earned a silver medal swimming prelims of the 400m free relay at the 2004 Olympic Games celebrated in Athens, Greece. Years after the demolition of the Escambrón Swimming Complex, San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini opened the new roofed San Juan Natatorium, developed by San Juan Sports Director María Elena Batista, herself a former Olympic Swimmer. The official opening of the San Juan Natatorium was December 15, 2006. A second natatorium was scheduled to open in time for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayagüez. On May 19, 2012, Orlando Fernández, also known as "The Puerto Rican Aquaman", became the first Puerto Rican to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar.

Tennis

Tennis is not very popular as a fan sport in Puerto Rico, but many Puerto Ricans practice it as a means of exercise. The 1984 television match between Martina Navratilova and Gigi Fernández was one of the most watched events of the year in Puerto Rican television. Gigi Fernández is arguably Puerto Rico's most famous tennis player ever, having won doubles championships in Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon championships, Wimbledon, winning gold medals for the USA doubles team in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, being ranked no. 1 in the world for women's doubles tournaments, and being ranked among the top 30 singles players for most of her career. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest doubles players of all time.

is the first Puerto Rican tennis player to win an Olympic Games, Olympic tennis match representing Puerto Rico. Brandi represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics, where she beat

from

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(7-5 and 6-1). Charlie Pasarell was another noted Puerto Rican Tennis player. He lost to Pancho Gonzalez in 1969, in the second longest singles match by number of games before the introduction of the tiebreaker. It took Pancho Gonzales 112 games to defeat Charlie Pasarell in the first round 22–24, 1–6, 16–14, 6–3, 11–9. Rafael Jordan was a player that many considered had potential to become a men's professional tour champion, but he died after an automobile accident during the mid-1990s.

became the first person to win an Olympic Gold Medal for Puerto Rico at the

. She defeated Germany's Angelique Kerber in the women's singles tennis final.

Track and field

2012-06-07 Bislett Games Javier Culson01

Track and Field, also known as athletics, has been another noteworthy sport in Puerto Rico, with Puerto Rican runners, hurlers and throwers have participated at the Olympic Games, Olympic and

with two and five medals, respectively, as of 2021. Most schools base their field days only on track and field events. Enrique Laguerre held it in high regard for its nature as a "fair [or loyal] competitition". It is taken to be one of the sports that should be considered outside of the traditional baseball, volleyball and basketball offerings, for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as "the child manages to function better in sports where the emphasis is on improving their own performance". Famous Puerto Rican track and fielders include Rebekah Colberg and Angelita Lind. Juan Juarbe Juarbe, who would later serve as Pedro Albizu Campos, Pedro Albizu Campos' personal secretary, was the first Puerto Rican to participate in any international sporting event, competing in the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games, and the first to win a gold medal at an international track and field competition. Rebekah Colberg, considered the "Mother of Women's Sports in Puerto Rico", was the Puerto Rico tennis champion for fourteen consecutive years, from 1932 till 1946. In 1938, she won two gold medals at the IV Central American and Caribbean Games, celebrated in Panama, in the discus and Javelin throw, javelin events. In 1946, when the games were celebrated in Mexico, she won a gold medal in softball. While studying for her master's degree at Columbia University, she was in the university's field hockey and lacrosse championship teams. She was also a member of the undefeated women's basketball team of the University of Mexico. Even though Juan "Papo" Franceschi had been a drug addict at one point in his life, he set several national records on the track and had a street named after him is nis native San Antón, San Antón, Ponce. However, his name is not part of the Museo Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre, Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre sports museum. Heriberto Cruz Mejil, who as a kid, lacking access to a running track, used to run from the Guánica, Puerto Rico, Guánica pier to the Caña Gorda baths. He went on to win silver and gold at the 110 metre hurdle event in the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games, 1962 Kingston and 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, 1966 San Juan Central American Caribbean Games, respectively, beating the then-fourth best runner in the world Víctor Maldonado in the latter. After which, he retired at age 27. Additionally, he was a Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico, LAI champion three consecutive years, competing at the Las Justas, ''Justas'' 110 metre hurdle, high jump and 4 x 400 metre relay events. Both his hometown's track and a tournament bear his name. Professional baseball player

was Julio Vizcarrondo Coronado high school's most valuable player for three consecutive years, and was described as "excellent in the sport of track and field." While Julio “Buyín” Camacho Mattei, who is better known for his professional volleball career, also competed in track and field events, among other sports. Eduardo Hernández, who played for the Adjuntas Giants baseball team, was part of the Colegio Ponceño, Colegio Ponceño's track and field team. Angelita Lind, often called the "Angel of Puerto Rico", has represented the island and participated in three Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) and won two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal. She also participated in three

and in the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympics celebrated in Los Angeles, California. The Athletics at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games athletics competitions were held at the Mayagüez Athletics Stadium. Puerto Rican athletes participated in the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, competing in the 12, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 metres, as well as relay and shot put. A survey in 2011 found that 75% of Puerto Rican university student athletes that attended private institutions of higher learning partake in this discipline. Eight of the 23 athletes competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, were track and field: Jamele Mason (400 metre hurdles), Eric Alejandro (400 metre hurdles), Beverly Ramos (3000 metre steeplechase), Enrique Llanos (110 metre hurdles), Héctor Cotto (110 metre hurdles), Miguel López (athlete), Miguel López (100 metre), Wesley Vázquez (800 metre) and Samuel Vázquez (1500 metros). Additionally, Javier Culson, who had become the first Puerto Rican track and field artist to be a flagbearer since the 1948 Summer Olympics, 1948 London Olympics, made history by becoming the first Puerto Rican track and field runner in an Olympic Game, to win the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He won it in the Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres hurdles, 400 metre hurdle competition. The Puerto Rico Department of Education, Department of Education has pushed for field day events to not be limited to track and field since 2015, arguing that "it must allow the participation of all students regardless of differences and interests." In 2019, 16 track and field athletes competed in the 2019 Pan American Games, Lima Pan American Games, of which 12 achieved minimum marks to qualify. Puerto Rico governor Pedro Pierluisi named retired long jumper and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez's Sport Affairs Director and lead coach Ray Quiñones, Ray J. Quiñones Vázquez as Secretary of Sports and Recreation of Puerto Rico. The first event held at the Carolina, Puerto Rico#Sports, Basilio Rodríguez Cruz Athletic Track, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Carolina's running track, after its million-dollar recontrsuction after hurricanes Hurricane Irma, Irma and Hurricane Maria, María was the XV Spring Athletics Classic (''Clásico Primaveral de Atletismo'') a March 2021 Olympic and Paralympic qualafying event. A change in the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification, qualifications for the athletic events at the 2020 Olympics by World Athletics, the sport's international federation, making the Qualifying standards in athletics, first criteria to qualify time or minimum marks, and the second ranking, was met with criticism in Puerto Rico. As most ranking events are held in Europe, making it less accessible from athletes from other continents. The ranking criterion is used to fill up vacant spaces. However, all four athletes whom met minimum marks,

and Wesley Vázquez, Ryan Sánchez (the only debut in the quartet) and Andrés Arroyo, were all eventually chosen and partook in the subsequent Olympics, arriving on 25 July to the Olympic Village. The latter three all competed in the same event, making it the first time that Puerto Rico had three atheltes competing at the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres, 800 metre event. Nevertheless, other athletes, such as Rachelle de Orbeta, Luis Castro (athlete), Luis Joel Castro, Grace Claxton and Ayden Owens failed to enter based on missing the ranking cutoff.

, who had debuted at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 Rio Games, competed in the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres hurdles, 100 metre hurdle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning gold and setting an List of Olympic records in athletics, Olympic record, becoming the first Puerto rican to ever do so and the second Puerto Rican ever to win a gold medal while Puerto Rico at the Olympics, representing Puerto Rico. At 12.26 seconds, her personal best, she tied for the 100 metres hurdles#All-time top 25, fourth fastest time in history. By winning the gold, she climbed to the top spot of the World Athletics Rankings in her event. During the 2020 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony, both 2020 Summer Paralympics Parade of Nations, flagbearers of Puerto Rico's delegation, Yaimillie Díaz Colón and Carmelo Rivera Fuentes, who competed in the amputee and intellectual disabilities Para-athletics classification, classifications, respectively, were track and field athletes.

Volleyball

The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation was founded in 1958, the first men's tournament organized was the 'Torneo Preolimpico'. The federation's first president was José Luís Purcell Rodríguez, Jose L. Purcell. Ten years later the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino, Women's League was established. Long considered the dormant sport among major sports in Puerto Rico, Volleyball has enjoyed much popularity since the 1990s, both in its professional and beach volleyball versions. Puerto Rico's ''Liga Superior de Voleibol'' has thrived in recent years, both in the Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino, men's and Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino, women's tournaments. In 1970, most of Puerto Rico's national women's volleyball team's members were killed Dominicana DC-9 air disaster, when a plane that was flying them to San Juan, Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic crashed shortly after take-off. In 1997, debut of foreign player in Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino, Women League. The most dominated are Laura Salinas from Monterrey, Mexico, lead the Mexico women's national football team, Mexico national team to several international competition. The foreign player debut in Women's League in 2000. Some of Puerto Rico's famous volleyball players are Willie De Jesus, Raúl Papaleo and Héctor Soto. Papaleo and Ramón Hernández (beach volleyball), Ramón 'Monchito' Hernández participated in 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in Beach Volleyball, first ever volleyball team in the Island Olympic history. Laura Daniela Lloreda, meanwhile, is a Puerto Rican who played in Mexico's national volleyball team. Héctor Soto, Héctor "Picky" Soto is the first Latin American player that has led the scoring in the World Championship's history. Soto won the Best Scorer award in 2006 FIVB World Championship in Japan and 2007 FIVB World Cup in Japan. During the World Cup, he scored 43 point against Korea, in the process establishing a scoring record. Outside of his international performance, Soto has played in the professional leagues of Italy, Tunisia, Japan and Russia.

Lacrosse

For the first time, Puerto Rico will feature a national team at the 2022 Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships.Record 23 lacrosse teams to play at Men's Under-21 World Championship
Ali Iveson (Inside the Games), 30 May 2021. Accessed 9 June 2021.

References

External links

*
Coqui Sports de Puerto Rico

Comite Olímpico de Puerto Rico

Comisión de Motocross de Puerto Rico

Federación Puertorriqueña de Voleibol

Federacion de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico

Federación Puertorriqueña de Boxeo Aficionado

Football Americano en Puerto Rico
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sports In Puerto Rico Sports in Puerto Rico, History of Puerto Rico

Brief history of sports in Puerto Rico

Pre-Columbian era

Spanish colonization

American (United States) colonization

Modern era

Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the Olympic Games

Olympics medalists

Puerto Rico at the Paralympic Games

Puerto Rico at the Special Olympics

Distribution and practice among sports

American football

Baseball

Early history of baseball in Puerto Rico

Currently

Basketball

Early history of basketball in Puerto Rico

International Puerto Rican Basketball players

Bobsled

Boxing

Early history of boxing in Puerto Rico

Boxing in the Olympics

Professional boxing

Cockfights

Equestrian

Fencing

Golf

Horse racing

Road running

Martial arts

Olympic-style wrestling

Professional wrestling

Sailing

Fútbol (Soccer)

Softball

Swimming (competitive)

Tennis

Track and field

Volleyball

Lacrosse

See also

References

External links