Cristian Gonzalez
We will highlight here the most popular sports in Puerto Rico, since it is a curious nation, because despite belonging to the territory of the United States, in sporting events such as the Olympic Games it is represented as an independent nation.
Another thing that definitely happens in Puerto Rico, despite being U.S. territory in the practice, is that they are just as Latino as any Central or South American country, and this is seen in the idiosyncrasy and simple things like how passionate they are about sports and music.
The 6 Most Popular Sports in Puerto Rico
That’s why at JefeBet we made a list of the 6 most popular sports in Puerto Rico, do you have a favorite among the list?
Baseball
In the modern era Puerto Rico has more than 100 Major League Baseball players who are currently active, in addition to hundreds more who have participated in the past, making this sport one of the most popular on the island, well, this is specifically the most popular on the island, taking the number 1 spot.
Some of Puerto Rico’s most notable baseball players include five Hall of Famers: Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez and Edgar Martínez.
Basketball
This sport was introduced by the Americans after cockfighting and bullfighting had been banned during a military government. Over the years, this sport has become one of the most popular sports in Puerto Rico, with players of international stature such as José Juan Barea.
Even in the 2004 Olympic Games, the PR Olympic team was the first to defeat the United States Dream Team in a competition of this stature.
Boxing
Let’s start with the fact that there are twelve Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, so from there we can say that this sport is the third most popular sport in Puerto Rico.
This sport, also introduced by the Americans, has been surrounded by valuable stories for the island that make it one of the most popular and beloved by the inhabitants of PR.
Equestrian
Although it is usually an equestrian sport that has more relevance among the upper social classes of Puerto Rico, contestants are frequently sent from the island to different international tournaments, such as the Olympic Games, for example. They have won several gold medals in this type of international game such as the Pan American and Olympic Games.
Fencing
Since the era of David “Kike” Bernier, Victor Bernier and brothers Jonathan and Marcos Peña, fencing has become a popular sport in Puerto Rico. These athletes won medals at the 2003 Pan American Games held in the Dominican Republic. Another athlete in this discipline from PR was Mirthescka Escanellas.
It is safe to say that the popularity of fencing has gained enough momentum to become one of the most popular sports in Puerto Rico.
Golf
Although it is not really that popular in Puerto Rico, there are a lot of golf courses all over the island, such as the Club Deportivo del Oeste. If there is an outstanding and famous Puerto Rican golfer, it is Juan “Chi-Chi” Rodríguez, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.
