NBA launches campaign to reach Hispanic fans

NEW YORK — After years of courting the European and Asian
markets, the NBA is trying to build up its fan base among
Hispanics.

The league will launch a marketing campaign on Monday called
enebea – the Spanish pronunciation of NBA. Featuring increased
TV and internet exposure, plus community projects, the NBA hopes
expand its reach among a demographic that makes up 15 percent of
its fan base.

“I think that it’s a great idea,” said New Jersey Nets forward
Eduardo Najera, who is Mexican. “I think it’s only going to help
for Hispanics to identify with players besides the Hispanic
ones, and overall I think it’s going to be a great chance for
them to feel included in the NBA. I’m happy about that.”

Najera is one of 19 players in the NBA from six Latin American
countries. Puerto Rico, which hosted the regional Olympic
qualifying tournament in August, beat the United States in the
2004 Athens games.

The NBA on Sunday staged its 18th game in Mexico, most of any
country besides the United States and Canada, when Philadelphia
and Phoenix met in Monterrey. NBA TV broadcast the game in
Spanish for the first time.

A Spanish-language Web site (www.nba.com/enebea) will include
news and features on Hispanic players, and the league plans
events to renovate basketball courts in Hispanic neighborhoods.

“With Hispanics comprising such a large percentage of our fan
base, we have a responsibility to connect with them in
meaningful ways,” NBA senior director of U.S. Hispanic marketing
Saskia Sorrosa said in a statement.

The NBA has already played games this preseason in Europe and
Asia, where the league has long been popular.