Hispanic Heritage Nights Aren’t Enough

We’ve all seen the specialty jerseys and the translated team names. We’ve seen the grand spectacle presentations and Selena music tributes, with specialty giveaway mugs and t-shirts. For years now, we’ve seen the pro sports leagues in the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball roll out different programs to honor and recognize their Hispanic players, coaches and fan bases.

This all sounds like a good thing, but there’s always been something about these glorified marketing plans that have rubbed me the wrong way.

I have to admit, as a Latino, Hispanic, LatinX, Chicano, or whatever our community’s identifier is for a particular news cycle, I am conflicted when I see professional sports teams unveil their “Hispanic Heritage Nights” or Latin Nights or even Taco Tuesday.

I will say, that last one mostly depends on the quality of the tacos being served, but let’s move on.

My feelings aren’t without conflict.

Let me explain.

There’s a half of me that is millennial and thinks I should be outraged any time my “heritage” is being “appropriated” by a country, or a corporate machine that only wants to care about our people when it’s convenient or when it can make someone money.

I’m sure you’ve seen both legitimate and faux outrage on social media about a Dia de Los Muertos doll or a luxury clothing line using indiginous designs and charging prices that would have made my abuela cringe. This is how I feel when I see the word “Los” go in front of a team name on a uniform. There’s something that has always seemed forced and even wrong.

Then, there are times where I try to rationalize and think that even if the outreach efforts by the leagues and teams isn’t genuine, it’s the thought and recognition that counts. It’s a chance to recognize athletes and coaches who are representing our community. Not to mention a chance to reflect on their accomplishments and our desire to grow our representation in professional sports.

That’s where the problem is. It’s actually walking the walk when it comes to having our community represented. The effort to hire more Latino managers and coaches, front office executives and especially more Latino broadcasters needs to be there if you plan on showcasing our community.

Right now, all sports leagues are missing the boat.

Thankfully, the formula for making the cash and creating community has been solved in Minor League Baseball. MiLB has created their own concept, born out of marketing and community relations that are showcasing our community at a hyper local level and in a way that is tasteful, and with the local Hispanic community’s participation and input, and approval.

MiLB’s Copa La Diversion expanded to 72 different franchises in 2019. They figured out the formula by creating aliases for its clubs that speak to the Latino community. Ask the San Antonio Flying Chanclas (Missions) or the Corpus Christi Raspas (Hooks) about the surge in merchandise and ticket sales when they adopted their secondary personas. Names like the Churros, or Elotes and Margaritas are fun, en Español, and speak to us in a unique way that bridges our culture with that of the overall baseball community.

In Minor League Baseball, there have always been team names that are wacky and different. This program has now taken words and nicknames from our culture and brought them into the forefront in a tasteful way, and with our input.

MiLB has also figured out how to direct the success of their program into valuable outreach, awareness, and fundraising opportunities for the Hispanic community, especially in the towns these teams call home. They engaged community leaders, and used their input to create the personas, the music playlists, even down to the concession menus and more.

MiLB made the extra effort because their local communities are the lifeblood of keeping those businesses afloat. They understand the Latino community’s support is essential to their operation.

The MiLB program is a step in the right direction, but MLB and the top leagues in pro and collegiate sports need to be giving back to our communities more.

The initiatives need to move into recruitment, education, training and hiring of Latinos into front offices at high-level positions including in the general manager’s office, and lead chair in radio and television broadcasts.

There are still way too few people who look like me in those positions. Baseball is getting better, but it’s still not where it needs to be.

Heritage is about where we have been as a community, and where we’ve been as a community in pro sports isn’t where we deserved to be. We have contributed to sports in so many ways, and it’s time for sports and those who own and run them to recognize us with more than mariachis at the front entrance and dollar margaritas.

Featured Image: Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport