Latinos and the NFL

  The National Football League (NFL) has not been shy in its pursuit of Latino viewers. The most popular sports league in America wants to win over the fasting-growing demographic in America. Last year, Latino viewership of the NFL reached an all-time high, (Hispanic Market Weekly, 2013) but a lot more still needs to be done to make major inroads. Applying sophisticated knowledge about Latino culture and the reference groups Latinos are influenced by could see those numbers shoot much higher.
            
The NFL’s Latino marketing efforts include: a robust Hispanic Heritage Month program, education efforts explaining the complex rules of the game, NFL-related programming on both Univision and Telemundo, and simulcasting Spanish-language commentary during English-language broadcasts (Hispanic Market Weekly, 2013).
            
But no matter how confident the NFL is in its product and no matter how much its executives love the game of football, no one should expect love-at-first-site from new Latino viewers. Football is foreign to many soccer-crazy Hispanics, and the rules of the sport are complicated. Unlike baseball (another American sport seeking Latino fans), football lacks significant stars of Hispanic descent and is not commonly played in Latin America. But football is a beautiful game. Its vast popularity in the US is no coincidence. NFL marketers should give Latinos reasons to watch the sport beyond just enjoyment of the game. They may not enjoy the sport at first, but once in the habit of watching, an appreciation and eventual love for football will grow organically.
            
So how do you get Latinos to start watching?

We know that individuals measure themselves and ultimately modify their behavior based on the influence of different reference groups they relate to. Hispanics in the US can be heavily influenced by non-Hispanic role models who have achieved a level of success and accomplishment they aspire to. (Korzenny & Korzenny, 2012). Such role models may include their bosses, teachers or neighbors. There is a high probability that members of these reference groups, already well established in the US, are NFL fans.

Football is more than a sport in America. It is ingrained in the fabric of society, especially in the workplace. The latest NFL news and gossip is discussed around the water cooler, office-wide fantasy football leagues are formed, email chains are circulated with the latest trade rumors and coworkers gather Mondays after work for Monday Night Football. Through clever marketing, a connection can be made that knowledge and enthusiasm for Football is an essential part of assimilating into the American workplace. It is a key to success. The Anglo reference groups exemplify this. This concept is not very different from the widely held belief among the elite that golf is an essential skill needed to succeed in business.

A possible NFL commercial, for example, could take a humorous look at a mid-twenties Latino trying to fit in at the office. All the football talk at the watercooler leaves him feeling ostracized and out of place. The commercial cuts to him having a blast with friends at his first live football game and later watching a game at a bar. The commercial then closes with him at a later date laughing and high-fiving his coworkers as he leads a football discussion at the water cooler. The insight the NFL must own is that Hispanics care about fitting in, especially if it affects their future prospects in the US. Football is a major way of fitting in. Research has shown that Mexican immigrants in the US switch to lighter beers to feel ‘more American’ (Korzenny & Korzenny, 2012). Drinking that light beer celebrating a touchdown is infinitely more ‘American’ than that.

Still, the NFL would be wise not to forget the reference groups most dear to Hispanics in the US: Hispanic family and friends. Sundays for many Latinos are a day of worship and of celebration. It may be wise to acknowledge in marketing efforts that on Sundays first comes church and then comes football (most games are played Sundays). Doing so demonstrates respect for existing traditions. As for Sunday being a day to celebrate with family and friends, football can tie right in with that tradition. Football should be marketed as an excuse to enjoy the company of family and friends with food and drinks. Game-watching should be a fiesta.

One more tidbit for the NFL. Want to get more Latinos to attend games? Latinos spend a lot of time online, but don’t expect them to frequent NFL.com, and don’t expect them to be familiar with all-too-American institutions such as ticket-selling site Ticketmaster or ticket resell giant Stubhub. It may be best to go back to basics. Putting hard copy tickets in the hands of Latino community leaders and opinion leaders, and incentivizing with commission, may be a much more viable approach. Get Latinos to start watching. They will fall in love.

By Art Schwartz / Student at Florida State University

Works Cited

Hispanic Market Weekly. (2013, September 5). NFL Returns To Increased Hispanic Interest. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from Hispanic Market Weekly:
 
Korzenny, F., & Korzenny, B. A. (2012). Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer. London: Routledge.