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SPORTS Wednesday 16 november 2022
Latinos love football, but numbers lag at NFL, college level

By DAVID BRANDT at Estadio Azteca. Arizona
AP Sports Writer beat San Francisco 31-14 in
NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — 2005 in front of more than
Benjamin Ley-Shipley is like 100,000 fans.
thousands of other teenag- This will be the fifth regular
ers across the United States. season game played at Es-
He’s a high school football tadio Azteca and the first
player who loves the game since 2019.
and has hopes of playing Rolando Cantú was part of
at the small college level that 2005 Cardinals team
over the next few years. as an offensive lineman
He’s a running back, de- and is now a broadcast
fensive back and a stand- analyst for Telemundo.
out on special teams. He’s He’ll be working the game
also a long-suffering Chica- Monday night and said he
go Bears fan. can’t wait for Mexico City
And like an increasingly to get another moment in
larger share of the country, the spotlight.
he’s also Latino. “It instantly becomes a
“I tried football out in eighth playoff or Super Bowl-type
grade and just fell in love environment for whatever
with it,” Ley-Shipley said. teams are involved,” Cantu
“The teamwork involved, said. “A lot has changed,
it really fit. There’s nothing the fan base has a lot of
quite like it. If you’re weak The flags of Mexico and the United States cover the field before an NFL football game between the youth. The NFL has done a
Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Mexico City.
in one area, it can affect Associated Press great job at the grass roots
everything.” levels with kids camps.
The popularity of football ready substantial Latino fan who identified as Latino in lege coaches. Ley-Shipley “Every year, the fan en-
in this town of about 20,000 base, particularly among 2021, or less than 1% of the and Esteban Acevedo a gagement is better.”

on the border between Mexican-Americans as well league. That number has 6-foot-4 offensive linemen Cantú also credited the
Arizona and Mexico some- as in Mexico itself, it hasn’t stayed fairly steady over are two players he believes NFL for expanding its flag
times takes a backseat to really translated to more the past 20 years, though could help a college team. football reach in Mexico,
that of soccer, baseball or Latino players in the NFL or categories have changed “It just comes down to get- which is more accessible
basketball, but there’s little at the college level. and been added, with ting those coaches down for some kids because it
doubt football has gained Latinos’ love of football par- nearly 10% of the league here,” Teyechea said. “We doesn’t involve buying hel-
a substantial foothold over ticularly in Mexico is clear. identifying as ‘two or more all want the same thing for mets and pads that can be
the last few decades. Ley- That passion will be on dis- races’ in 2021. them. We want them to prohibitively expensive.
Shipley whose father is play Monday night when The numbers for NCAA Divi- grow up, be better men As the NFL eyes expansion
from Mexico just wrapped the Arizona Cardinals face sion I college football play- and help wherever they opportunities outside of
up his senior season and the San Francisco 49ers at ers are slightly better, with can. I wish these schools the U.S., Mexico City would
has received some interest Estadio Azteca in Mexico 3.4% identifying as Latino. would come out and give make sense. One advan-
from a few NCAA Division III City. A sellout crowd is ex- But those figures are still it a chance. I think they’d tage is that time zone con-
college programs. pected. It’s one of five in- way below the 18.7% of the be surprised at what they siderations wouldn’t be an
“I just hope they know ternational games for the U.S. population that identi- find.” The 49ers-Cardinals issue (like it would be for a
there’s some good players NFL this season, though it’s fied as Latino, according to matchup on Monday European-based team).
down here,” the 18-year- the only one not in Europe. the 2020 Census. comes about 17 years after It would also be a normal
old said. According to a report by Nogales coach Jake Teye- the two teams were part flight for most teams, par-
It’s a curious phenomenon the Institute of Diversity and chea said he’s worked of the first regular-season ticularly those based in Los
for football: While the game Ethics in Sport, there were hard to get some of his NFL game played outside Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoe-
continues to build its al- just 12 players in the NFL players more looks from col- of the U.S, which was also nix or Houston.q

Netherlands to host Solheim Cup for

1st time in 2026

LONDON (AP) — The Neth- Dutch Open on the men’s on the last few holes so it’s
erlands will host the Solheim European tour in 2021 and going to be exciting and
Cup for the first time af- 2022 and will do so again that’s what the fans want
ter being chosen to stage next year. to come and see.”
the biggest team event in Catriona Matthew, who Europe will defend the
women’s golf in 2026. was Europe’s captain for trophy against the United
Bernardus Golf will host the Solheim Cup victories in States at Finca Cortesin in
event, organizers said Tues- 2019 and 2021, described Spain in September next
day. The course in Crom- Bernardus as “an amazing year.
voirt, a village in southern venue.” The Solheim Cup will then
Netherlands close to the “It kind of reminded me a revert to being held in even Nelly Korda shows the championship trophy after winning the
historic cathedral city of little bit of a links course,” years, with Robert Trent LPGA Pelican Women’s Championship golf tournament at
Den Bosch, opened in 2018 Matthew said. “There’s go- Jones Golf Club in Virginia Pelican Golf Club, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Belleair, Fla.
Associated Press
and has already hosted the ing to be a lot of risk-reward hosting in 2024.q