NFL Markets Football to U.S. Hispanics

The free market does not discriminate. This story on the marketing of football caught my interest today.

Dr. Felipe Korzenny, of Florida State University, will give a lecture on Hispanic marketing at Texas Tech University on Feb. 9th. Our college is strongly involved in the growing area of scholarship.

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
The Associated Press

MIAMI - For 14-year-old Emanuel Arrosa, life is about playing or watching "futbol." Like millions of Hispanics whose passion is soccer, the son of Argentinian parents can't remember a time when he couldn't dribble a ball with his feet.

About American football, Arrosa is less enthusiastic. "It's OK, but it doesn't take the same agility. You just hit people."

Yet if the NFL can work its Super Bowl magic Feb. 4, Arrosa might join the growing legion of Hispanic fans who love the choreographed violence of American football as much as the fancy footwork of soccer. The NFL has stepped up efforts in recent years to market the sport to the children of Latin American immigrants, and as Super Bowl XLI approaches, the league is going all out in its bid to win over the Hispanic community.

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