La Brega: Campeones

Hoy les traemos un episodio especial desde Puerto Rico de nuestros amigos de Radio Ambulante, quienes se encuentran en plena publicación de su temporada 15. En marzo de 1975, el pequeño pueblo de Moca, en Puerto Rico, vio cómo se perturbaba su tranquilidad con la aparición de decenas de animales muertos. En un lugar así, sin secretos ni misterios, esa escena siniestra despertaría todo tipo de preguntas. Radio Ambulante lleva más de una década contando historias de América Latina y la comunidad latina en los Estados Unidos. Sus episodios buscan complejizar tu mirada de la región. Pueden encontrar más episodios, de Puerto Rico y el resto de países, en su página web.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’ve seen the Instagram posts and the headlines of Puerto Rican campeones in all kinds of arenas. For this special bonus episode we talk to Camila Lamerre Estevez, an athlete who competed on the Puerto Rican women’s ice hockey team. We share Camila’s story, how she turned into a young hockey star, and what she learned about Puerto Ricanness on the ice.The Futuro Plus Team includes associate producer Liliana Ruiz, production managers Victoria Estrada and Jessica Ellis, marketing manager Luis Luna, and development manager Danetsy Len. Mixing by Multitude Productions.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Los Young Lords surgieron en los 60 en Chicago como una ganga callejera, pero evolucionaron y se convirtieron en una organización política que llegó a otras ciudades, como Nueva York y Filadelfia. En su mayoría, eran jóvenes boricuas de la diáspora, que se organizaron y educaron a su comunidad sobre el colonialismo estadounidense. Iris Morales, dirigente del brazo educativo en Nueva York, habla con La Brega sobre el legado de la organización, y las tensiones que surgieron del deseo de acercarse a la patria. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the late 1960s, the Young Lords emerged from a Chicago gang and became a political organization mainly made up of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora. Some had never been to Puerto Rico, some spoke little Spanish – but they all claimed Puerto Rico. Many of these young Boricuas were hungry for stories about their history and tried to learn in any way they could. One of those was Iris Morales, who led TYL’s education mission in New York. Iris talks with us about what it means that TYL championed Puerto Rico, the tensions that arose from trying to get closer to their homeland, and solidarity today. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

El dominio de Puerto Rico en el beisbol es más que conocido, pero hay quienes piensan que la pelota boricua ya vio sus mejores días. Y algunos responsabilizan de su declive a una decisión de Major League Baseball de 1990, cuando obligó a los peloteros boricuas a pasar por el sorteo de novatos para llegar a la pelota profesional. Pero, 35 años después, las razones son mucho más complejas. En este episodio, exploramos cómo el beisbol refleja realidades como la migración forzosa, la desigualdad y la falta de soberanía política, y descubrimos formas en que la pelota sigue aportando a Puerto Rico.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Puerto Rico has been a baseball powerhouse. For decades, we operated as our own country, under the same rules as nations like the Dominican Republic. Players could be signed to professional teams as young as 16. Then in 1990, Major League Baseball changed the rules to include Puerto Rico in its first-year player draft. Initially, it was seen as protecting young players. But today, there’s a sense that Puerto Rican baseball has lost its shine, and fewer players make it to the major leagues. In this episode, we examine how baseball reflects inequality and the lack of political sovereignty.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Por décadas, políticos y activistas boricuas han depuesto ante el Comité de Descolonización de la ONU durante su vista anual sobre Puerto Rico. La mayoría de los deponentes favorece la independencia, pero, recientemente, los pro estadidad se han organizado para aumentar su presencia ante un foro que, en 50 años, no ha conseguido cambiar nada. Porque Puerto Rico sigue siendo una colonia de Estados Unidos. El equipo de La Brega visitó la sede de la ONU durante el verano de 2025 para acompañar a los peticionarios que, año tras año, comparecen para defender sus visiones de futuro para Puerto Rico. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For decades, Puerto Ricans from different political persuasions have gone to the United Nations in New York to speak about the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Most have advocated for independence. But recently, statehood supporters have also spoken before the UN. And for decades, their advocacy has made no difference: Puerto Rico continues to be a colony of the United States. In 2025, La Brega went to the United Nations to spend a day with the advocates who continue to make the annual pilgrimage, and ask whether the yearly ritual really advances their vision for Puerto Rico’s future.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

En Puerto Rico, los concursos de belleza son una obsesión nacional que entusiasma al público como cualquier competencia deportiva. Y, en 2024, ocurrió algo que expandió la huella boricua en estos certámenes: Míster Puerto Rico ganó por primera vez Míster Mundo. Danny Mejía nunca había participado en un certamen de belleza, pero viajó a Vietnam para representar a su país y regresó de allí con el triunfo, uno más para Puerto Rico. En este episodio, exploramos qué significa que Míster Mundo sea boricua y cómo estos concursos —de mujeres y de hombres— ayudan a desarrollar ideas sobre la nación. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Puerto Rico has a reputation as a beauty queen mecca, the pageant scene is treated as seriously as any competitive sport in the archipelago. And in 2024, the scope of Puerto Rican dominance in the world of beauty pageants expanded even further: for the first time, Mister Puerto Rico became Mister World. Danny Mejía, who had never competed in any pageant before, went to Vietnam all by himself to represent Puerto Rico. In this episode, we learn what it means that Mister World is Boricua, and explore the history of these nation-building contests that are deeper than they seem at first glance. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

En 1902, Isabel González llegó a Ellis Island sola, con 11 dólares en el bolsillo y embarazada. La detuvieron, como a tantos otros, por ser “extranjera” y porque consideraron que podría ser “una carga para el Estado”. Pero ella peleó por su derecho de quedarse en el país que había invadido su patria y llegó hasta el Tribunal Supremo para reclamar la ciudadanía estadounidense. En este episodio, exploramos junto a expertas las repercusiones históricas y legales del desafío sin precedentes de esta boricua de principios del siglo 20. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1902, Isabel González arrived in Ellis Island, pregnant, alone and with only $11.00 in her pocket. She – like others before her – was detained for being an "alien" and at risk of becoming a "burden" on the state. But Isabel took her fight to the courts, defending her right to stay in the country that had invaded her homeland just four years earlier. She fought all the way to the Supreme Court where she argued for citizenship. In this episode we learn about Isabel’s ever-so-pertinent legacy, and how another recent challenger also fought for Puerto Rico at the US Supreme Court.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

En plena Guerra Fría, el presidente estadounidense Jimmy Carter llama al boicot de los Juegos Olímpicos Moscú 1980 y en Puerto Rico se debate qué significa eso para la participación de los deportistas locales. Pero un joven boxeador llamado Alberto Mercado no tiene dudas: no habrá boicot ni protesta que le impida representar a Puerto Rico en el más importante escenario deportivo. Esta es una historia sobre la visibilidad de Puerto Rico en la palestra internacional y de los triunfos y sinsabores que viven los atletas cuando la relación entre el deporte y la política se hace evidente. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was 1980, and the Olympics were to be held in Moscow against the backdrop of the Cold War. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter called for a boycott of the games, leaving Puerto Rican athletes uncertain of their participation. But Alberto Mercado and two other young Puerto Rican boxers were determined to represent Puerto Rico. This is a story about fighting for visibility on the global stage, and the heartbreak and triumph that athletes experience outside of the ring when politics and sports mix. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cuando el cuatrista Luis Sanz se presentó en un estudio para una grabación misteriosa, no imaginó que terminaría tocando un solo de cuatro en “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii”, la canción de Bad Bunny que habla sobre los peligros de la estadidad. Las instrucciones de Benito fueron simples, pero dolorosas: “toca el cuatro como si se estuviera desangrando”.En este episodio, varios cuatristas demuestran por qué, para los boricuas, el cuatro es más que un instrumento, y viajamos junto al cuatro mientras acompaña a la diáspora, lucha contra el desplazamiento y se acostumbra a ser una estrella mundial.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the musician Luís Sanz showed up for a mystery recording session last year, he didn’t know that he’d be playing a cuatro solo for “Lo que le paso a Hawaii,” a lament about the dangers of statehood. Benito’s instruction was simple yet heart-wrenching: “play the cuatro as though it’s bleeding out.” In this episode, cuatristas show us that the cuatro is more than a musical instrument: it’s the soundtrack to the Puerto Rican experience. We follow the cuatro as it travels all over the world with the diaspora, as it fights against displacement, and as it adapts to a new global spotlight.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A horas de que llegara el rey de España a Puerto Rico en enero de 2022, el país se despertó con una sorpresa: la estatua de Juan Ponce de León en el Viejo San Juan estaba tirada en el piso. Ese día, el pasado y presente colonial de Puerto Rico se entrelazaron de manera evidente, y muchos se preguntaron: ¿quién se merece estar en un pedestal?, ¿quién representa la puertorriqueñidad?, ¿quiénes son nuestras campeonas y campeones? Esta temporada, conoceremos más sobre Puerto Rico a través de personas y símbolos, y nos preguntaremos qué hace falta para ser una campeona o campeón de Puerto Rico.Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on La Brega and all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.