La Brega – Season 3
3. The Many Flags of Alberto Mercado
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.
Read the episode transcript here.
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Original art by Pedro Lugo. You can see their Instagram here.
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For more information:
- Visit La Casa Museo Alberto Mercado in Cayey, Puerto Rico
- Check out Alberto himself alongside the famous image of Puerto Rico’s delegation in Moscow 1980.
- De Londres a Tokio: Una mirada desde Puerto Rico is perhaps the most comprehensive book about Puerto Rico and its participation in the Olympics. The chapter about the Moscow Olympics in 1980 goes into Alberto's story and the political drama surrounding the games.
Additional material by:
- CBS News and Stations division of Paramount Global
- Libreria El Candil
- National Cable Satellite Corporation (C-Span)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
