The who’s who in sports within the Latino community were out Saturday in San Francisco, one day before Super Bowl Sunday.
The gathering at the Pearl in San Francisco was put on by the NFL and the agency named Impact-X Sports.
The mixer included a panel discussion by some of the top Latino football players in history, from 49ers legend Jeff Garcia out of Gilroy, to Cincinnati Bengals Hall of Famer, Anthony Munoz.
“I think it’s great to see Latinos in sports. Something I think, I believe, has been overlooked for a while. I always use the example that back in the 80s a Latino won the Super Bowl. Tom Flores and Jim Plunkett,” Munoz said.
Organizers say the nation is paying attention to the Latino financial influence when it comes to sports.
“Latinos are important to sports. The reality is this is a business imperative to go after this cohort. Over the next 10 years the sports industry as a whole is going to grow from 160 billion to 300 billion. And one out of every $3 is attributable to the Latino cohort,” Xavier said.
“We know for the NFL, our currency is relevant. And if we’re not relevant to over 70 million US Latinos in the US, we would never be successful. The Latino community is critical to the success of the NFL,” Marissa said.
At Super Bowl 60, six Latinos will be on the field.
The event included a conversation between the football legends, about the Latino legacy they’re leaving behind, with the Latino names they wore on the back of their jerseys.
“Any time to see the name, you’re curious. You do a background check and find out more about that individual,” Munoz said.
