The First Hispanic owner
Congratulations Arturo Moreno
you are going to Disneyland !
Arturo Moreno is the first
Hispanic baseball owner
of a Major League franchise
and he brings a lot to the
table.
By Amaury Pi-González
It was bound to happen,
a Hispanic buying a
MLB franchise. But he is
not just another Hispanic
billionaire. Arturo Moreno
made a real fortune in
the advertising world.
He says he doesn’t plan
to made any immediate
changes to his World Champion
team. The first title for this
organization since they
started play in 1961.
He bought the World Champion
Angels for $180 million from
Disney. That is a bargain.
in the huge Los Angeles
area market any team for
$180 million has to be a
bargain.
But wait….the other L.A.
team is also for sale ! The
Dodgers are for sale by
News Corp who bought them
for $311 million in 1997.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
owners are talking with
News Corp and are very
interested in buying the
Dodgers.
Wow, big changes in the
Los Angeles market, one
without an NFL franchise
(not counting Raiders a few
years ago) it seems this
huge market is changing
constantly.
In Seattle the majority interest
is owned by Hiroshi Yamauchi,
who is also the guy from Nintendo
Co. But unlike Moreno who is
controlling the Angels, Yamauchi
gives that away to Americans
Howard Lincoln and Joe Ellis
in the Emerald City.
How would Mr. Moreno promote
the Angels ? He will go for more
of a Latino attendance which
has not been seen in Orange
County for years, since Disney
and Gene Autry never really
marketed to the huge Latino
population of the L.A. basin.
However, all you have to do
is drive to Santa Ana just
minutes away and you will
hear Spanish spoken everywhere,
or for that matter most places
in the Los Angeles basin with
something like 14 million people.
Baseball cannot have it both
ways. I hear a lot: “baseball
is going international, playing
openers in Mexico, Japan,
Puerto Rico”.
Then I also hear a lot: “..baseball
is not the American game anymore”
What is it ? If we want to make
baseball international we must
admit that the whole world is
not only the USA. I for one, do
not subscribe to that theory
that baseball has to
be like Soccer, that we must have
a World Championship with all
over 100 or so countries in
the world to prove the best
team. I disagree with that,
MLB is the best league in
the world, therefore the
World Series here is correct.
Major League Baseball is the
best professional baseball league
in the world. The best baseball
players in the world already are
playing here, from the US,
Latinamerica, Asia,Australia.
We do not need another
ruling body to make it like
the World Cup each four years.
Do we need another Bud Selig?
This one would be an international
version….please. And you know,
Bud already has a leg up with
the Soccer people since he
favors “tie games”. And in
Soccer some of the best
international matches have
ended 0-0 !
Bud Selig would love to have the
A’S, Expos or Marlins move to
San Juan, Puerto Rico, although
it will not happen since Puerto
Rico cannot support a MLB
franchise. Mr. Selig should know
that and do not rush to conclusion
in looking for investors in San Juan
with the present economic
enviroment. The Commissioner
is presently talking with
Puertorican promoters and
trying to find a way to have
a team there permanently.
What we need is owners that
like the game of baseball that
want to run their teams in
a profitable manner and take
it to the community, promote
within their communities and
market correctly.
According to Forbes Magazine
Mr. Arturo Moreno, the Angels
new owner has a net worth
of $940 million. He made this
fortune in the billboard
industry and using both
main markets in this country
#1 English #2 Spanish.
It is sad that it takes a Hispanic
owner to realize the potential
of the Hispanic market in
regards to baseball. Some
MLB teams put little or no
interest into the Hispanic
community (mind you that
30% of players are Latinos).
Why are they missing on
this, many places un-tapped
market? I have no idea,
you have to ask some of these
owners that are always
complaining they’re loosing
money, but they cannot
set up a marketing department
that would promote to the
largest minority in this
country which happens to
be Latinos and at the
same time increase their
attendance and their
revenues.
I have also heard that Latinos
only like Soccer. WRONG !
People that tell you that are
people that like Soccer and
dislake baseball and they’re
saying that to promote their
cause. Look at the MLS
(Major League Soccer) there
is nothing “major”about it
but its name. The best
Soccer players in the world
DO NOT PLAY in the MLS
here in the USA.,they play
in Germany, Italy or Spais,
that is where the best
Soccer leagues in the world
are located.
Of course you are not going
to market to Hispanics in
Kansas City,Minnesota or
Cincinnati since there are few
there. But -reading the latest
US Census of 2000- Hispanics
are now in most areas of the
US, including places like
Portland, Salt Lake City
(were there are 24-hour
Spanish radio stations).
Seattle just began a 6 station
radio network in Spanish
with stations not only in
Seattle but how about
Boise, Idaho ? Yes, it is
happening. But do not make
the mistake of thinking that
Latinos are only in agricultural
areas, more and more Latinos
are presently moving to
urban areas and in places
like Miami have a percapita
income higher than the national
levels.
Most simple minded people
when you talk about Hispanics
think of Los Angeles, New York
and Miami….well that was 30
years ago ! This is a different
world today, different demographics
some executives are finally realizing
what they have been missing.
The new owner of the Angels,
Mr. Arturo Moreno brings to the
front the importance of the
Hispanic fan in today’s game and
gives notice to others than
the Hispanics are here in the
US to stay,we are not going
anywhere.
Like Mr. Moreno said:
“I think we are all Americans,
most of us are immigrants
from someplace and we do
our best to be Americans”.
———————————————————-
Amaury Pi-González is broadcasting
all 81 home games this season for
the new Seattle Mariners Baseball
Radio Network and also on his 9th
season as Spanish Announcer for
the SF Giants on wekend home games
over KZSF 1370 AM(La Caliente)
San JOSé.
0 comments
Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.