Sammy & Oscar Top Nominees @ Premios Fox Sports.

Sammy Sosa and Oscar De La Hoya have been at the top of their respective sports for many years, and are two of the most beloved and charismatic athletes in the world. Today, a new group of Latino athletes in non-traditional Latino sports, such as golf and basketball, are joining Sosa and De La Hoya in contributing to the impact of U.S. Hispanic and Latin American athletes in the world of sports. On December 21, Sosa, De La Hoya and other nominees will be recognized for their achievements during the inaugural Premios Fox Sports awards show on Fox Sports en Español (U.S.) and Fox Sports Latin America.

A total of 60 athletes, teams and coaches have been nominated in 12 categories including soccer, baseball and boxing, and in sports not typically seen as “Latino” sports, such as basketball, golf and tennis. A complete list of nominees and categories is available at http://fse.terra.com/premios .

Among those nominated are Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, who was recently named the LPGA Rolex Rookie of the Year. The Guadalajara native was the NCAA Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002, and today has a sponsorship package of more than $1 million, among the largest ever awarded to an LPGA rookie. Ochoa is the youngest-ever recipient of Mexico’s National Sports Award and has been featured in top golf and women’s magazines worldwide.

Argentine Emanuel “Manu” Ginóbili of the 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and Mexican Eduardo Nájera of the Dallas Mavericks are among those nominated in the Outstanding Latin American Basketball Player category. Both played integral roles in their teams’ 2003 run at the NBA championship. Today, the NBA features 8 Latin Americans in total, including players from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Mexico.

Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, who this season each slugged their 500th homerun – one of sports’ most venerated marks – join a strong field of nominees in the Outstanding Latin American Baseball Player category. Others include Alex Rodríguez, who tied for the American League lead in home runs (47); second baseman Alfonso Soriano of the American League champion New York Yankees; and Chicago White Sox pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who led the American League in strikeouts (207) and was tied for second in wins (21).

Current Formula One driver and former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia joins four Mexicans – Adrián Fernández, Michel Jourdain, Jr., Rodolfo Lavín, Mario Domínguez – in the race for the Outstanding Latin American Motor Sport Driver. The Mexicans are part of a wave of Latin American drivers who have taken the CART Champ Car racing series by storm. Jourdain, Jr., Domínguez and Fernández finished in the top 10 in this year’s point standings.

The awards show will be televised on Sunday, December 21, 2004