NFL Capitalizes on Hispanic Football Fever

D E N V E R, Feb. 1, 2004 -- During a recent NFL playoff game, nearly 50 people gathered in the basement of Marco Arriola's Denver home to cheer on their favorites.

"Yeah! We got it baby! Green Bay ball!" one of them yelled. It didn't seem to matter that the Packers were eliminated in overtime.

Every week, the group gathers to celebrate football. Sometimes they attend a Broncos game at Invesco Field at Mile High.

What makes the group unique is that not one of them was born in the United States. In fact, all of them immigrated from Latin America where soccer, not American style football, is preferred.

"They are still into soccer," said Sharon Vigil. "But they are acclimating to the football scene."

In fact, Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the football market. Lino Garcia, an ESPN executive is absolutely euphoric about the number of Hispanics who are potential NFL fans.

"Right now, it's [Hispanic population] at 30 million and it's projected to be 50 million in the next 15 years," he said. "It is really growing at a real fast clip."

Both the NFL and television have taken note of the trend and are now catering to Spanish-speaking fans. ESPN, which is owned by the parent company of ABCNEWS, recently developed an all Spanish language sports network called ESPN Deportes.

"We listen to the games in Spanish," said Arriola. "It's like the announcers are a little aggressive you know, like they put a bit of salsa in it."

‘Hispanic Task Force’

But attracting Hispanics goes beyond just broadcasting the games in Spanish. The NFL recently created a "Hispanic Task Force" and has taken the game to Latino communities across the country.

The New York Jets recently hosted about 200 Hispanic children and taught them how to pass, kick, and run the ball at their home stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

"It's obviously to get them on the field and participate," said Marc Riccio the New York Jets' marketing director. "It kind of breaks down those barriers of participation and lets them see and feel and touch the football in a way they normally wouldn't get a chance to do."

The NFL believes the more young Hispanics know about the game, the more they will follow it and eventually become season ticket holding fans who spend their disposable income on it.

"We're talking about a market of over 30 million people in the U.S. with the buying power of a half-trillion dollars," said ESPN's Garcia.

That money goes for souvenirs and, of course, beer. Coors now runs a fast paced commercial that advertises Coors Light by featuring lots of high energy scenes of football intercut with cheerleaders and, of course, beer.

The NFL has also licensed special team T-shirts emblazoned with Spanish phrases. For the Miami Dolphins, for example, it's azucar, which means, "sweet." In Denver, the Broncos T-shirt reads, de todo corazon, which means, "with all my heart."

Hispanic fans seem to appreciate all the marketing directed at them.

"Football is part of who I am," said Sharon Vigil.

Arriola agrees: "There is something about football that gets lots of us really into the game," he says. "We just have fun."