Hispanic Voters Decided Election, Demo Could Move Needle for Sports Properties Too

Hispanic Voters Decided Election, Demo Could Move Needle for Sports Properties Too

A greater number of Latinos –and Latino men, in particular– voted red on November 5 than in previous elections. CNN exit polls showed that 55% of Hispanic males voted for Donald Trump, compared to just 32% in ‘16 and 36% in ‘20.

“I believe [that demo] got President Trump elected,” Campbell McLaren (CEO, Combate Global) said. “If you look state by state, the Hispanic vote mattered in Arizona and in Georgia, and it crumbled the blue wall in Pennsylvania.”

That reality ought to serve as a wake-up call for domestic sports properties. There is an opportunity for them to move the needle by effectively marketing to the largest ethnic minority in the U.S., a group only growing in both size and influence.

At a minimum, they can no longer afford to alienate the demo.

65.2 million Americans now identify as Latino (~19% of the U.S. population). That is roughly twice as many people as 20 years ago.

Collectively, they would be “the sixth largest standalone economy in the world,” McLaren said.

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Most Latinos still voted blue in November. Just a smaller percentage of them than in past elections (think: ~13% fewer than ‘20).

The change in Latino voting patterns actually says less about Trump and the Hispanic voters’ opinion of him, than it does about the Dems’ attitude towards to the group.

“The Democratic party assumes they have Hispanics, and they don’t,” McLaren said. “It shouldn’t take much for [a party historically known to be for minorities and the working class] to get them, but it shouldn’t assume it has them either.”

It also reflects the Dems’ inability to appeal to the demo.

While Hispanics are not a monolithic block, they do share some characteristics.

“This a group, for example, that is mostly Catholic,” McLaren said. “It [tends to have] a European [or Spanish] culture and is generally conservative.” 

Sports properties seeking to appeal to Hispanics should keep that in mind, especially in the context of cultural issues and holidays (think: scheduling). 

The Democratic party did not. Instead, it leaned into reproductive rights as a core voter issue; a position Hispanic Americans largely view as running counter to the Church.

This is also largely a middle-class demographic. 

“So, the economy [and cost of day-to-day goods and services were] a serious issue,” McLaren said. 

As was immigration. The democratic party failed to alleviate those two core concerns. 

There was “no real plan [for] Hispanic voters [to] evaluate,” McLaren said. “They heard more about abortion than economics. More about DEI than protecting what Hispanics [are] working so hard for.”  

And Hispanics between the ages of 16-39 over-index as sports fans.

“When they hook in, they hook in,” McLaren said. “That [is] the business proposition behind Combate.”

It is also why other domestic properties should be increasing their efforts to grow fandom amongst the demo.  

Teams and leagues looking to reach Hispanics should start by talking directly to them. And make sure to do so without being unintentionally offensive (think: LatinX). 

The neologism is viewed as “a direct assault on their culture,” McLaren said. “Spanish is a beautiful and colorful language. Spanish slang is funny, rude, and to the point. [LatinX is a] manufactured PC, non-gender, term [and it] is insulting.”

Then, work to find authentic points of connection. The Raiders resonate with Hispanics, even though there is little about American football that speaks to their culture, because of the color scheme.

“Black, gold, silver [all] work [with Mexican and Central Americans],” McLaren said. “And [the] Pirate [logo and theme], that kind of works too. The Raiders [attract the Foos] because there [are] relatable points [between the demo and club].”

‘Foos’ are a young (think: 18-34), acculturated, but still prideful, Hispanics residing primarily west of the Mississippi. Older generations might know them as ‘Cholos’.

The difference is “the term Cholo was often used pejoratively,” McLaren said. “Foos are proud!”

They’re also known to spend money on live experiences. 

But to do that effectively, sports organizations must understand the Foos’ culture (think: brands, style, jargon).

This is a demo that has "a BS meter, like anyone else that comes out of street culture,” McLaren said. “If [what you’re selling] reads as BS [to them], it’ll never get through.”

The Democrats missed that memo.

Their messaging was “beyond tone deaf,” McLaren said. “J-Lo and [John] Leguizamo are Hollywood show ponies, not authentic voices.”

Combate and MLS clearly have an opportunity to grow their Hispanic followings in America. MMA and soccer are global sports.

But so too do the NFL and MLB. 

“American football remains [largely] ‘foreign’ to Hispanics because the soundtrack is country music or classic rock, it seems very traditional American,” McLaren said. 

There are also few Hispanics playing, and it’s expensive for a big family to attend. 

However, immigrants in large cities acculturate to American norms. And there is seemingly plenty that could be done to make the game more attractive to the audience.

“Start with tailgating. Hispanicize it! Make it taco or empanada friendly. If you can’t entice a Hispanic audience to eat and drink beer, you are not really trying,” McLaren said. “Add some Spanish music, occasionally. Pick a Mexican holiday to celebrate the way boxing took over Cinco De Mayo. How about some Latina cheerleaders?”

Baseball already appeals to Latinos.

“A lot of Spanish speaking countries play [the game],” McLaren said.

In fact, ~25% of current MLB players hail from Latino countries. So, for MLB and its clubs it’s more about further growing connections with Hispanic fans than trying to make them like the sport.

The league long ago recognized it won’t attract the demo simply because many of its star players are Latino, that it must actively market to and engage with them (see: 2003 launch LosMayores.com, partnership with TelevisaUnivision, 11 million followers on Spanish social accounts).

All 30 of its clubs have followed suit. 

The Braves have done a particularly good job. The club introduced an inclusive organizational initiative to activate, support, and celebrate Atlanta’s large Hispanic population back in 2017. 

‘Los Bravos’ (Hispanics aren’t sensitive to indigenous sports team names/logos the way other Americans are) has included season-long in-language advertising and messaging, along with various multimedia initiatives, community programs, live events, and opportunities to purchase specialty merchandise items. Fans can also now listen to games in Spanish on La Mejor (an Atlanta radio station).  

The concerted effort has paid off. The club has experienced 12% YoY annual increases in its Hispanic fan base.

While a dedicated marketing strategy won’t move the needle that much in every market (think: Green Bay), there are plenty, beyond just the obvious ones out west like Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where it could.

“In Indianapolis it would. It Chicago it would,” McLaren said. “Chicago has a million Mexican Americans. Are they all going to see the Cubs? I don’t think so.”

Pro sports organizations in cities across the country would be wise to test McLaren’s theory. 

“The Hispanic audience will [only] continue to grow. [Eventually it will] become [the] majority,” he said.