Bad Bunny Means a Breakthrough for Puerto Rican Athletes, Too
A report from Nytimes says more than 100 million viewers in the United States are expected to watch Bad Bunny headline the Super Bowl halftime show, and Puerto Rican N.F.L. players are celebrating that Spanish will resound on the game's biggest stage. Former N.F.L.
offensive lineman Willie Colon said the performances reminded him of his Puerto Rican upbringing and called the moment indicative of the community's reach, adding "The stage is bigger than the N.F.L. itself." The small fraternity of N.F.L. players with Puerto Rican heritage — according to the league, there are at least nine — has displayed its pride at practices and on game days, and the report cites Marco Rivera, Isiah Pacheco and rookie Federico Maranges among those who have raised the island's visibility.
The article notes Victor Cruz helped increase visibility for Latin players in the 2010s by salsa dancing after touchdowns and speaking Spanish with media.
Puerto Rico