Tulsa’s Puerto Rican community is watching Bad Bunny and the ‘Benito Bowl’ with pride

Carlos Reyes Rodriguez, 36, doesn’t go a day without thinking about his life in Puerto Rico. He grew up in Canóvanas, a small town on the east side of the island. 

He was only 14 when his family relocated to the United States. His father, who worked for the U.S. government, was stationed in the continental U.S. after President George H.W. Bush ordered the Navy to withdraw from the island in the early 2000s. 

“The change was very drastic, because we grew up on the mountain and the river,” he said. “When we wanted to, we could go to the river, the beach and, well, we’re people from el campo (the countryside).”

Reyes Rodriguez is one of many Tulsans of Puerto Rican descent who created a life in the Tulsa region. They say they will soon also see themselves on the big stage this weekend as Puerto Rican global rapper and singer Bad Bunny headlines the Super Bowl halftime show. 

A few members of the community spoke with the Flyer about their experiences living on the island, moving to the Tulsa area and what it means to see a global star from Puerto Rico take the center stage. 

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, taken from Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898. The island’s residents became U.S. citizens in 1917. They pay federal taxes and are represented by a non-voting member of Congress. It even has its own National Guard units, which have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

But Bad Bunny’s halftime show has raised questions from some conservatives – fueled by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns and rhetoric – across the nation over the NFL’s decision to allow him to perform. Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit founded by Charlie Kirk, will host an alternative halftime show at the same time with performers, such as Kid Rock, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett taking the stage. 

“Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican star,” Reyes Rodriguez said. “We are American citizens and they don’t see that. They don’t see Puerto Rico, us, as Americans.” 

In his early 20s, Reyes Rodriguez and his then-wife settled in Broken Arrow where her family was from. He lived in Texas for some time but believes the cities are too big and cause him anxiety. 

While living in Broken Arrow, Reyes Rodriguez started his own business, Taino Roots, where he sells jewelry inspired by his ancestry. You can often find him at a First Friday Art Crawl or local festivals. 

“It’s a stable town,” he said of Broken Arrow. “It’s a calm town to raise your family, even if it’s not Puerto Rico.”

Lino “Taino” Roldan, 76, also found a way to connect with Tulsa’s Latino community through the online radio station La Brisa Tropical, where he promotes Salsa music. He plays the percussion sometimes and plays clean versions of Bad Bunny’s music on the radio. 

“I admire him because he dared, because he put Puerto Rico on a platform,” he said. “And not just Puerto Rico, other countries, all the Hispanic countries.”  

Roldan was drafted into the U.S. military and left the island in 1969. He served for 23 years and was stationed throughout the world, but he has lived in Jenks with his wife, Carmen, for 15 years. 

He misses the food from Puerto Rico the most, but his wife, also Puerto Rican, does a good job at cooking, he said. He often hosts parties and dances to gather his fellow Puerto Rican friends in town. 

Roldan’s passion since retiring has been to stay connected with the community through volunteering. 

“It doesn’t matter what country you come from, get involved with the community even at a bare minimum,” he said. “Always be aware of where you come from and the culture from your country – never forget it.”

Pedro Mari, 66, came to Tulsa in 1978 at 18 years old to enroll at the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology.

Mari has moved back and forth between cities for his job as an aircraft mechanic for American Airlines. But he’s always returned to Tulsa. 

Mari likes the simplicity and affordability of the area. His children, now in their 40s, also live on the border of Tulsa and Broken Arrow. 

Mari is excited for the Super Bowl even if his favorite teams won’t be playing. He’s a big football fan and having Bad Bunny as the halftime performer is a plus.

Mari has supported Bad Bunny since the early days and even considered going to see him alone when he performed in Tulsa.

Over the years, he said Bad Bunny has cleaned up his music and become the mature artist he knew he could always be. 

“I can identify with a lot of his songs, because a lot of his songs talk about his roots and where he comes from, as a person that grew up and was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” Mari said. 

Kiara Franceschi, 33, made her way to the Tulsa area in 2023 after spending about six years in North Carolina. She was born and raised on the island and stayed there until Hurricane Maria made landfall in 2017. 

Franceschi had no idea Tulsa existed when she left the island. 

She came across a sermon in 2023 from Michael Todd, pastor of Transformation Church in southeast Tulsa, regarding “Relationship Goals.” That’s when she and her family decided to move to Bixby.

Franceschi plans to throw a big party Sunday for the “Benito Bowl,” where her friends and family will gather and make Puerto Rican food and sit and watch the halftime show. 

She didn’t previously like Bad Bunny until his recent album. She’s proud someone from her island is standing up for Puerto Ricans and other Latinos during these politically-charged times where she often feels hurt. 

“I can’t express it but I can listen to the lyrics of Bad Bunny and sing with him and feel as if I’m part of the change,” she said.

This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.

News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.