http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13826694p-14667479c.html
By Clint Swett
To suggest the Kings have yet to tap into the the Spanish-speaking market in the Sacramento region would not be entirely accurate. There are two courtside seats at Arco Arena reserved for a local Spanish-language radio broadcast team.
There was "Salsa with the Kings," a promotion involving Corona beer, a few seasons ago.
But other than that, examples of Latino marketing promotions are hard to recall, said Sonja Brown, a spokeswoman for the team's owners, Maloof Sports and Entertainment.
Which explains the fanfare and anticipation surrounding the arrival of Francisco García, a slender guard from the Dominican Republic who became the Kings' top draft pick this year and - more significantly - the first Latino player in franchise history to make the roster. He'll make his regular-season home debut Tuesday night when the Kings host Detroit's Pistons, who fell a game short last season of winning a second straight National Basketball Association championship.
García has barely had time to learn his way around Sacramento, but already he's beginning to grasp the importance of his heritage, from a symbolic standpoint if nothing else.
"Every time (Spanish-speakers) see me they come up and say hello and tell me how proud they are of me," García said after a recent practice. "When I go out to eat or just after the game, they wait outside for me and let me know they're Hispanic. They say they look up to me and say they're happy I'm here."
García is a pioneer, of sorts. In two decades in Sacramento, the team has never had a native Spanish speaker, Brown said.
And the team has never made it a priority to sell itself to thousands of Latino fans whose sports passions have traditionally focused on soccer and baseball.
It's hard to put a dollar figure on what the Kings could gain by courting the Latino market. With few season tickets available, there's little the team could gain in direct revenue.
But increasing its TV viewing audience could mean more exposure for those who pay to advertise themselves as Kings' partners. The Kings, in turn, could charge more for business partnerships.
Federal census figures show the Latino population in the four-county region of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties grew 26.1 percent from 2000 to 2004, to 290,321. During the same period, the overall population grew 12.8 percent to 1,803,160.
In the Central Valley, where Comcast SportsNet will carry 64 Kings games this season, the growth is nearly as vigorous.
San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Fresno counties along the Highway 99 corridor saw their combined Latino populations grow 20.8 percent to 903,301 over the past five years.
Latinos now account for 40.9 percent of residents in the four Central Valley counties between Sacramento and Fresno, Census Bureau statistics say.
So far, the Kings don't have a road map on how García might help the team reach that growing population. García referred questions about his marketing potential to his agent, Jerome Lewis, who did not return calls seeking comment. But García is in the team's promotional plans.
"Francisco is the first Spanish-speaking player we've had in Sacramento," Brown said. "It's in our interest to have him connect with the (Latino) community."
The Kings' primary nod to Latinos appears to be licensing Spanish-language broadcasts of their games on a local radio station, KRCX-FM.
Unlike nine other NBA teams, the Kings' Web site has no obvious Spanish-language section, though it does use translation software. But native Spanish speakers say the software mangles the syntax and frequently mistranslates words.
Brown said she wasn't aware of any complaints but said the Kings would look for improved software.
Maloof Sports doesn't focus specifically on the Latino community, Brown said, but tries to include many ethnic groups.
The organization's highest-profile event is the celebration of Cesar Chavez's birthday, a day when all Kings employees work on community service projects, rather than in the office. Last year they focused on painting and cleaning up the old Police Athletic League facility in Oak Park.
The Kings ignore the growing Latino community at their own financial peril, experts say.
"Whites in the U.S. are older and Hispanics are younger," said Larry DeGaris, director of the Center for Sports Sponsorship at James Madison University. "In 10 or 15 years they will represent a much higher percentage of people that (sports teams) are targeting."
Said Mary Ann Gomez, whose Gomez Communications Group specializes in marketing and public relations to Latinos: "In terms of reaching the Hispanic basketball fan, their efforts have been pretty limited. They may be doing many activities, but we haven't really seen it."
Local Spanish-language broadcasters insist there is a real appetite for the Kings in the Latino community.
"It's like the English-language audience," said Armando Botello, who does Kings play-by-play for KRCX-FM.
"When there are good games, they praise (the Kings), or they can criticize the players or the coaching," Botello said. "The single biggest complaint I hear is that there is not enough availability of tickets."
Sacramento's leading Spanish-language TV station, KUVS-Channel 19, also heavily covers the Kings, said Diego Ruiz, the station's general manager. "I think the (Latino) viewers in this market follow the Kings and are aware of what's going on with them, but I don't think it matches the intensity of soccer," he said.
Having a player like García could help change the intensity, Ruiz said.
He said building a team relationship with the Latino market has been limited by not having any Latino players. "With Garcia, that dynamic changes," Ruiz said.
During an exhibition game at Arco Arena, Francisco Daniel was enjoying a beer while watching the Kings rout the Golden State Warriors. Daniel said he feels Latinos will follow any good team, regardless of the sport. "It's all about whoever you have in front of you," he said.
But he said he'd like to see the Kings be more like the National Football League's Oakland Raiders, who have an extensive Spanish-language Web site. The Raiders even highlight their Spanish-speaking cheerleaders.
By Clint Swett
To suggest the Kings have yet to tap into the the Spanish-speaking market in the Sacramento region would not be entirely accurate. There are two courtside seats at Arco Arena reserved for a local Spanish-language radio broadcast team.
There was "Salsa with the Kings," a promotion involving Corona beer, a few seasons ago.
But other than that, examples of Latino marketing promotions are hard to recall, said Sonja Brown, a spokeswoman for the team's owners, Maloof Sports and Entertainment.
Which explains the fanfare and anticipation surrounding the arrival of Francisco García, a slender guard from the Dominican Republic who became the Kings' top draft pick this year and - more significantly - the first Latino player in franchise history to make the roster. He'll make his regular-season home debut Tuesday night when the Kings host Detroit's Pistons, who fell a game short last season of winning a second straight National Basketball Association championship.
García has barely had time to learn his way around Sacramento, but already he's beginning to grasp the importance of his heritage, from a symbolic standpoint if nothing else.
"Every time (Spanish-speakers) see me they come up and say hello and tell me how proud they are of me," García said after a recent practice. "When I go out to eat or just after the game, they wait outside for me and let me know they're Hispanic. They say they look up to me and say they're happy I'm here."
García is a pioneer, of sorts. In two decades in Sacramento, the team has never had a native Spanish speaker, Brown said.
And the team has never made it a priority to sell itself to thousands of Latino fans whose sports passions have traditionally focused on soccer and baseball.
It's hard to put a dollar figure on what the Kings could gain by courting the Latino market. With few season tickets available, there's little the team could gain in direct revenue.
But increasing its TV viewing audience could mean more exposure for those who pay to advertise themselves as Kings' partners. The Kings, in turn, could charge more for business partnerships.
Federal census figures show the Latino population in the four-county region of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties grew 26.1 percent from 2000 to 2004, to 290,321. During the same period, the overall population grew 12.8 percent to 1,803,160.
In the Central Valley, where Comcast SportsNet will carry 64 Kings games this season, the growth is nearly as vigorous.
San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Fresno counties along the Highway 99 corridor saw their combined Latino populations grow 20.8 percent to 903,301 over the past five years.
Latinos now account for 40.9 percent of residents in the four Central Valley counties between Sacramento and Fresno, Census Bureau statistics say.
So far, the Kings don't have a road map on how García might help the team reach that growing population. García referred questions about his marketing potential to his agent, Jerome Lewis, who did not return calls seeking comment. But García is in the team's promotional plans.
"Francisco is the first Spanish-speaking player we've had in Sacramento," Brown said. "It's in our interest to have him connect with the (Latino) community."
The Kings' primary nod to Latinos appears to be licensing Spanish-language broadcasts of their games on a local radio station, KRCX-FM.
Unlike nine other NBA teams, the Kings' Web site has no obvious Spanish-language section, though it does use translation software. But native Spanish speakers say the software mangles the syntax and frequently mistranslates words.
Brown said she wasn't aware of any complaints but said the Kings would look for improved software.
Maloof Sports doesn't focus specifically on the Latino community, Brown said, but tries to include many ethnic groups.
The organization's highest-profile event is the celebration of Cesar Chavez's birthday, a day when all Kings employees work on community service projects, rather than in the office. Last year they focused on painting and cleaning up the old Police Athletic League facility in Oak Park.
The Kings ignore the growing Latino community at their own financial peril, experts say.
"Whites in the U.S. are older and Hispanics are younger," said Larry DeGaris, director of the Center for Sports Sponsorship at James Madison University. "In 10 or 15 years they will represent a much higher percentage of people that (sports teams) are targeting."
Said Mary Ann Gomez, whose Gomez Communications Group specializes in marketing and public relations to Latinos: "In terms of reaching the Hispanic basketball fan, their efforts have been pretty limited. They may be doing many activities, but we haven't really seen it."
Local Spanish-language broadcasters insist there is a real appetite for the Kings in the Latino community.
"It's like the English-language audience," said Armando Botello, who does Kings play-by-play for KRCX-FM.
"When there are good games, they praise (the Kings), or they can criticize the players or the coaching," Botello said. "The single biggest complaint I hear is that there is not enough availability of tickets."
Sacramento's leading Spanish-language TV station, KUVS-Channel 19, also heavily covers the Kings, said Diego Ruiz, the station's general manager. "I think the (Latino) viewers in this market follow the Kings and are aware of what's going on with them, but I don't think it matches the intensity of soccer," he said.
Having a player like García could help change the intensity, Ruiz said.
He said building a team relationship with the Latino market has been limited by not having any Latino players. "With Garcia, that dynamic changes," Ruiz said.
During an exhibition game at Arco Arena, Francisco Daniel was enjoying a beer while watching the Kings rout the Golden State Warriors. Daniel said he feels Latinos will follow any good team, regardless of the sport. "It's all about whoever you have in front of you," he said.
But he said he'd like to see the Kings be more like the National Football League's Oakland Raiders, who have an extensive Spanish-language Web site. The Raiders even highlight their Spanish-speaking cheerleaders.
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