The Pangs of Puerto Rican Patriotism at Summer Olympian

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The Pangs of Puerto Rican Patriotism

Posted May 6, 2008 at 12:01 PM by Michael J. Sedor

Section: Beijing 2008, Culture/History, Human Interest, Socio-Political, Events, Boxing, Featured Writers, Michael Sedor

Puerto Rico The Wall Street Journal has had the most thoughtful, insightful, and interesting Beijing Olympics coverage of any English language news source. Their nonpareil work continued today with this excellent Page One article about the Puerto Rican team, patriotism, politics and self-identity. The only drawback to the WSJ reporting is that it’s only online for 14 days to non-subscribers...so read quickly.

This article looks closely at United States commonwealth Puerto Rico. As of 1996, the IOC stopped allowing territories or sub-national entities to participate by themselves at the Games - you won’t see a Basque team or Quebec squad unless they become independent - but Puerto Rico’s inclusion was grandfathered in. The island’s Olympic status is an avenue of pride despite never having won a gold medal. It matters none that Puerto Ricans are United States citizens, there is an earnest desire to represent Puerto Rico first.

If Puerto Rico were ever decide to become an official state then it would lose its Olympic spot. The feelings towards statehood and Olympic participation run the gamut from ardent favoritism, ardent negativity, to complete apathy. But Puerto Rican boxing hopeful and World Championship bronze medalist McJoe Arroyo - his name a perfect example of the island’s cultural clash - encapsulates what every winning Puerto Rican athlete would feel when he describes his boxing medal stand experience: “Seeing that flag rising,” he said, “I felt something like—I can’t explain it—like a knot in my heart.”

Would he have felt the same thing had it been an American flag? Would American audiences have ardently accepted a Puerto Rican as one of their own? Probably yes in both cases but still, the status quo is always difficult to change both in mind and in practice.

Should Puerto Rico be a state? I don’t see why not although I don’t understand why the District of Columbia hasn’t yet achieved statehood. Is statehood worth using your national identity and local pride (and your Olympic team)? That’s a question that will be decided at the next Puerto Rican plebiscite.