Latinx Fans Want Sports Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic and Latino sports fans already put up big viewership and sales figures. Brands and broadcasters just need to watch the scoreboard.
Back in early September, during an event held amid the US Open tennis tournament in New York, Nielsen teamed with Latinos in Sports (LiS) to release a study on Hispanic and Latino fandom across five major American sports leagues—MLB, MLS, NFL, NBA, and NHL. Among those in attendance was baseball Hall of Famer and World Series champion Pedro Martinez, who also enjoyed a lengthy career as a broadcaster for both MLB Network and TBS.
“It’s critically important that Latinos take on more leadership roles to represent our culture and community, and shining a spotlight on this is one of the most important things I do in life,” Martinez told ADWEEK.
The Nielsen/LiS study underscored Martinez’s argument for increased representation. Hispanic and Latino fans represent the bulk of sports’ next generation, with 72% composed of either Gen Z or Millennials—compared to just 50% of the U.S. market overall. More than 38% are more likely to follow sports on TikTok than the average fan, with 9% more likely to follow sports on social media than they were a year ago.
If that isn’t getting brands’ sports marketing attention, fan spending should. Hispanic and Latinx fans are 11% more likely to purchase a brand’s product after seeing an ad than the average fan and 39% more likely than the general population to recommend a company that sponsors their sport.
“It’s an illustration of brands saying, ‘I see you,’” said Stacie de Armas, Nielsen’s svp of inclusive innovation and diversity. “If brands are in places where Latinos are, where they have been for a long time, where they feel loyalty, where there’s a tremendous amount of passion, then those brands are going to benefit 2x, 3x by being present in those spaces.”
Brands and broadcasters can’t just approach Hispanic and Latinx fans like a monolith. As sports leagues, advertisers, and their creative partners already know, the fanbase is incredibly diverse—with the NFL’s English- and Spanish-speaking bilingual fanbase increasing 9% within the last year and MLS’ English-dominant Hispanic and Latinx fans growing 15% during the same span. If companies want this fanbase’s business, they have to consider how they’re engaging with its various cultures—or finding partners who have.
“It’s not only important now, but it’s kind of future proofing your organization to think about this market,” said Mike Valdes-Fauli, co-Founder of LiS and president of culturally focused creative agency Chemistry Cultura. “If we’re agreeing with the importance of Latinos, then what are the passion points that are my best point of entry to engage authentically? Sports, which is a unifier and a galvanizing force that brings all communities together and disproportionately creates engagement with Hispanics.”
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