Famous Athletes and Illegal Bird Fighting

May 15, 2026, 15:45
Latin AmericaSports

Introduction

Some famous sports players are in trouble. They may have helped with illegal bird fighting in Puerto Rico.

Main Body

Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz Jr., and Edwin Díaz are the players. Bird fighting is against the law. People can go to prison for five years if they do it. Photos and videos show the Ortiz brothers with the birds. They may have taken money from the games. Photos also show Edwin Díaz in his team clothes for the bird clubs. Edwin Díaz said his family had four birds in a game. He said he thought the games were legal. Now, his baseball team may punish him.

Conclusion

The players did not answer the questions. The police did not charge them with a crime yet.

Learning

🚨 The Word 'MAY'

In this story, we see the word may used many times. At an A2 level, you need to know that may is used when we are not 100% sure about something. It is like saying "maybe."

Examples from the text:

  • "They may have helped..." → Perhaps they helped, but we don't know for sure.
  • "They may have taken money..." → It is possible they took money.
  • "His team may punish him." → This might happen in the future.

⚖️ Opposite Words (Antonyms)

To grow your vocabulary, look at these two opposites found in the article:

Legal (Allowed by law) →\rightarrow Illegal (Against the law)

  • Example: Bird fighting is illegal.
  • Example: He thought the games were legal.

🛠️ Building Simple Sentences

Look at how the text describes people: [Person] + [Action/State] + [Detail]

  • The players →\rightarrow did not answer →\rightarrow the questions.
  • The police →\rightarrow did not charge →\rightarrow them.

Vocabulary Learning

illegal (adj.)
Something that is against the law
Example:Stealing is illegal.
prison (n.)
A building where criminals are kept
Example:The man went to prison for three years.
punish (v.)
To make someone suffer for doing something wrong
Example:The teacher will punish the student for talking in class.
charge (v.)
To officially say that someone has committed a crime
Example:The police will charge him with theft.
crime (n.)
An action that is against the law
Example:Robbing a bank is a serious crime.