How reggaeton stars are driving a basketball boom in Puerto Rico

CAROLINA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Vianca Braña never used to attend basketball games in her hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico — or anywhere else in the United States territory. But in recent years, the 23-year-old has left the arena with a hoarse voice, often wearing a T-shirt that reads “Carola,” a nickname for her town.

“We started making this fun, and I wanted to represent the town where I'm from,” said Braña, who attended her first game the year Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny bought a team in the island’s professional men’s basketball league. It was also around that time that she began placing bets on different teams across Puerto Rico with her girlfriends.

Braña’s fervor illustrates how Puerto Rico's professional men's basketball league is experiencing a revival, driven by reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base the island hasn’t witnessed in over 40 years.

What were once half-empty arenas in Puerto Rico are now packed, filled with families and young fans cheering for their favorite teams, from Los Capitanes de Arecibo in northern Puerto Rico to Los Leones de Ponce in the south.

Attendance more than doubled from 2018 to 2023, skyrocketing from some 480,000 tickets sold to nearly 1 million, according to Puerto Rico's professional men’s basketball league, whose digital presence has also soared in the past few years.

A pivotal moment in the league’s revival came in 2021, when three-time Grammy winner Bad Bunny became co-owner of Los Cangrejeros de Santurce, along with his manager, Noah Assad.

Bad Bunny’s frequent game-day visits sparked a resurgence in Puerto Rico's basketball scene. Other artists like Anuel AA quickly followed, buying Arecibo’s Capitanes team before a new owner took over in 2023, and Ozuna acquiring Manatí’s team, renaming it Los Osos, in 2022. The league, known as BSN, currently has 12 teams playing, compared with nine just four years ago.

Basketball games have transformed into premier rendezvous events, attracting celebrities like NBA legend LeBron James, former boxer Floyd Mayweather and reggaeton artists including Arcangel and Rauw Alejandro, capturing audiences of all ages hoping to get a glimpse of them.

“When Noah and Bad Bunny came along, we generated a lot of noise,” said Ricardo Dalmau, president of BSN. “It was an explosion of attention.”

Dalmau said local TV ratings also saw an upward tick after they began broadcasting some games in 2021, with the biggest surprise being their largest viewership block: women ages 18 to 49, a new audience that was also reflected in the bleachers.

“You never know what artist you’re going to find in the (league),” he said.

Before its recent surge in popularity, the league was under financial strain. Although Dalmau did not provide specific numbers, he said there used to be a lot of uncertainty about whether certain teams would participate or whether the league could fulfill players’ contracts. “We don't have those problems anymore," he said.

Javier Sabath, a popular basketball commentator on the island, said he is witnessing what his father — a sports commentator himself decades ago — describes as the environment in the 1980s, the heyday of the league.

“New generations have never seen this before,” Sabath said. “The boom with urban artists revived the Puerto Rican sports history that had been forgotten.”

Sabath said the momentum created by artists has fueled fans’ excitement beyond just seeing reggaeton stars. “Indirectly, these artists are attracting enough attention to make people interested in our league,” he said. “It’s a domino effect.”

A bittersweet moment took place recently, when Puerto Rico national men’s basketball team, composed of several of the league’s star players, qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The victory over Lithuania broke a 20-year drought for the team that last competed in 2004, beating the USA team in the Athens Olympics. It is also a loss for the league’s teams playing later in the summer.

The league’s renaissance comes after its peak over 40 years ago. Teams in Bayamón, Quebradillas, Ponce and other towns had produced renowned players, including Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican player to enter the National Basketball Association; Raymond Dalmau, whose son currently presides over the league; and Rubén Rodríguez, who played for Los Vaqueros in Bayamón.

As part of the current frenzy, ex-NBA players have moved to Puerto Rico in recent years to join the league. Will Barton and Jared Sullinger play for San Juan’s team, while other ex-NBA players like DeMarcus Cousins, Lance Stephenson and Brandon Knight also joined before moving on to other stints.

Still, some problems remain beyond the league’s control, including severe budget cuts, with the government slashing the island’s sports and recreation department budget by more than half over the past decade. A lack of investment and maintenance in sports arenas across the island has caused leaks, leading to game suspensions after heavy rains.

“Despite the lack of economic resources, we’ve been able to sort it out,” said Ray Quiñones, secretary of sports and recreation of Puerto Rico, whose infrastructure budget was cut from about $15,300 in 2014 to barely $7,500 in 2024.

Sports arenas face the additional problem of chronic power outages across Puerto Rico, which is still rebuilding its electric grid after Hurricane María, a Category 4 storm that razed the island in September 2017.

In June, a game in Carolina between the home team, Los Gigantes, and Los Indios of Mayagüez was suspended after a widespread power outage left more than 340,000 customers without electricity. A month earlier, a game in San Juan’s main arena was also suspended due to a power outage.

Despite the challenges, younger generations are finding refuge outside their homes — which also contend with frequent power outages — and a new sense of pride by attending the games.

For fans like Annais Ramírez, basketball arenas feel like safe spaces, especially for women looking to engage in historically male-dominated areas.

“There are so many artists coming to the games, and you wonder if you’ll run into one,” the 27-year-old said as she stood next to her friend, who sported a necklace with a diamond-encrusted “C” for the town of Carolina.

Her love for Carolina’s team has grown beyond her expectation to run into a celebrity. During her free time, Ramírez goes on social media to catch up on the games she couldn’t attend in person, checking out highlights, halftime performances and crowd reactions.

“Those motivate you to be part of the movement,” she said. “On weekdays, this helps me unwind.”

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Dancers perform in a halftime show during a basketball game between the Bayamón Vaqueros and the Guaynabo Mets, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Guaynabo Mets Jermaine Miranda dribbles the ball against Bayamón Vaqueros Bryan Gonzalez during their basketball game at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bayamón Vaqueros cheer during a basketball game against the Guaynabo Mets at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bayamón Vaqueros players huddle with their coach during a time out in a game against the Guaynabo Mets at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A Gigantes de Carolina fan sits amid Bayamón Vaqueros’ fans, during a basketball game between Bayamon and the Guaynabo Mets, at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Fans arrive at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum to watch a basketball game between the Bayamon Vaqueros and the Guaynabo Mets, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Fans enter the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum to watch a basketball game between the Bayamón Vaqueros and the Guaynabo Mets, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Ricardo Dalmau, president of Puerto Rico's professional men's basketball league known as BSN, poses for a photo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

FILE - Puerto Rican recording artist Bad Bunny claps sitting court side during an NBA basketball playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers, in Dallas, April 28, 2024. Puerto Rico's professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

Bayamón Vaqueros' Bryan Gonzalez shoots against Guaynabo Mets' Jerome Meyinsse, during their basketball game at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Reggaeton singer Jowell cheers during a basketball game between the Guaynabo Mets and the Bayamón Vaqueros, at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Monday, July 1, 2024. Puerto Rico’s professional basketball league is experiencing a renaissance thanks to reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuelan judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the opposition’s former presidential candidate Edmundo González as part of a criminal investigation into the results of a disputed election.

The warrant was issued at the request of authorities who accuse González, a former diplomat, of various crimes including conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers. The warrant comes just over a month after election officials declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of an election that his opponents say he lost.

Authorities sought the warrant after González failed to appear three times to answer questions from prosecutors in a criminal investigation stemming from the disputed election results.

Ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared Maduro the victor of the July 28 election, hours after polls closed. They did not show any detailed results to back up their claim as they had offered in previous presidential elections.

The lack of transparency has drawn international condemnation against Maduro and his allies.

The opposition, however, managed to obtain more than 80% of vote tally sheets, which are printed by every electronic voting machine, and said they show Maduro lost by a wide margin against González.

González was summoned to the prosecutor’s office as recently as Friday. Attorney General Tarek William Saab opened the investigation against González after he and opposition leader María Corina Machado revealed what they said were the results shown in the tally sheets and published them online.

Maduro’s ruling party and the National Electoral Council have refused to publish their copies of tally sheets that the electronic voting machines printed after polls closed.

Instead, as international pressure mounts to release a breakdown of results, Maduro asked the country’s high court to audit the electoral process. The Supreme Tribunal of Justice, stacked with Maduro loyalists, concluded on Aug. 22 that the vote counts published by the opposition were false and certified Maduro’s victory.

González, 75, has not made any public appearances since the day after the election. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

González has questioned the prosecutors’ actions for lack of due process guarantees and accused Saab, a longtime Maduro ally, of being a “political accuser” who “condemns in advance.” He rejected the interview summons arguing, among other issues, that they did not specify the condition under which he was expected to appear.

“They have lost all sense of reality,” Machado, referring to Maduro’s government, wrote on X after the attorney general’s office published the warrant request on Instagram. “By threatening the President Elect, they only manage to unite us more and increase the support of Venezuelans and the world for Edmundo González.”

An AP review of the tally sheets released by the opposition indicates that González won significantly more votes than the government has claimed. The analysis casts serious doubt on the official declaration that Maduro won.

The AP processed almost 24,000 images representing the results from 79% of voting machines, resulting in tabulations of 10.26 million votes. The processed tally sheets also showed González receiving more votes on 20,476 receipts compared to only 3,157 for Maduro.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

FILE - Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez leads a demonstration against the official election results that declared that President Nicolas Maduro won reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)