Sports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak (Taíno) 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 Puerto Rico national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation, The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas.
The Centrobasket is a FIBA-sponsored international basketball tournament where national teams from Central America and the Caribbean participate. These countries make up the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CONCENCABA). The top three or four Women's National teams typically earn berths to the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, from which they can qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup or Summer Olympics. Teams qualify for these tournaments by finishing high in the previous Centrobasket or by placing high at the FIBA COCABA Championship for Mexico and the seven Central American countries and at the FIBA CBC Championship for the 23 Caribbean countries. In total, 31 countries have an opportunity to qualify their national teams for Centrobasket, yet all of them do not enter teams regularly.
The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level. The football team competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while most other teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The fight song is Go, You Redbirds.
Walter Wallace Hodge Muñoz is a Puerto Rican-U.S. Virgin Islander professional basketball player for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Internationally, Hodge plays with the senior U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team, due to eligibility arising from his Virgin Islander grandfather. After being a reserve point guard in his first two seasons with the Florida Gators, he became the starting point guard for the two-time defending national champions in the 2007–08 season. On June 5, 2013, in appreciation for his contribution to Zielona Góra, his jersey number was retired.
Puerto Rico first participated at the Olympic Games in 1948, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. Puerto Rico has also participated in the Winter Olympic Games since 1984, but did not participate in the Games of 2006, 2010, and 2014.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves are the athletic teams of Arkansas State University. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference in all sports except women's bowling, a sport not sponsored by that league, competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. As of the next NCAA bowling season in 2023–24, the bowling team will compete in Conference USA, which absorbed the single-sport Southland Bowling League after the 2022–23 season.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves football team represents Arkansas State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football competition. The team was founded in 1911 and has competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference since 2001. Their home field is Centennial Bank Stadium and the head coach is Butch Jones.
Orlando Radhames Antigua Fernández, nicknamed "Hurricane", is a Dominican-American basketball coach and former player who is currently the associate head coach at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He had also been an assistant there from 2017 to 2021. He was most recently an assistant coach under John Calipari at the University of Kentucky. He is widely known as becoming the first Hispanic and the first non-black player for the Harlem Globetrotters in 52 years when he signed in 1995. After his retirement from playing professional basketball he was named an assistant coach at Pittsburgh, the University of Memphis, and the University of Kentucky. In 2014, he was named the head coach at South Florida, which he held until 2017. He also served as the head coach of the Dominican Republic national basketball team from 2013 to 2015.
Jazmon Chameli Gwathmey is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Lointek Gernika Bizkaia of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. She played for Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn 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 representing Puerto Rico to win a gold medal. In the semi-finals, Camacho-Quinn set her personal best and Olympic record of 12.26 seconds, which is tied for the fifth fastest time in history. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. In 2024 Paris Olympics she won a bronze medal, making that her second Olympic medal, becoming the only Puerto Rican to have won two Olympic medals.
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley is an American professional volleyball player for the United States women's national volleyball team. She played collegiate volleyball with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini from 2008 to 2011. She won gold with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Alexander Abreu Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Cariduros de Fajardo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He formerly played college basketball in Akron and West Georgia, and also in the French LNB Pro A. Standing at a height of 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), he plays at the point guard position. Internationally, Abreu represents and plays for the Puerto Rican national team.
Isalys Briana Quiñones is a Puerto Rican basketball player. She played college basketball for Dartmouth from 2015 to 2019. She represents the senior Puerto Rican national team in international national team competitions.
André Jael Curbelo Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican college basketball player for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles of the Sun Belt Conference. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini and St. John's Red Storm. Curbelo represents the Puerto Rican national team in international tournaments. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg), he plays the point guard position.
The 2020–21 Arkansas State Red Wolves women's basketball team represented Arkansas State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The basketball team finished the season with interim head coach and former assistant Destinee Rogers after second year head coach Matt Daniel resigned on Dec 13th 2021.The team played all home games at the First National Bank Arena along with the Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball team. They were members of the Sun Belt Conference.
Tony Madlock is an American basketball coach who is the current head coach of the Alabama State Hornets men's basketball team.
India Lee Pagán is an American college basketball player for the Stony Brook Seawolves of the America East Conference. She is also a member of the Puerto Rican national team.
Joshua Robert Tyler Minott is a Jamaican-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers.
Sofía Roma is a Puerto Rican and Italian basketball player who represents Puerto Rico in international play. Roma played college basketball at Wagner College and later Duke.
