More Hispanics tying to be reached into joining the NBA

The NBA makes a fast break to reach U.S. Hispanic fans.
There are only six Hispanics in the league, and it’s looking for more.
Carmelo “Melo” Anthony, with the Denver Nuggets is one of them.

Three years ago, the NBA launched its own Hispanic Awareness Month, which occurs every March.
The league is also tapping more international Latin players. Since 2000, the number of Hispanic or Latino players from outside the USA has grown from five to seventeen.

According to the US Census, from 2000 to 2007, the Hispanic share of the US population grew from 12.5 percent to 15 percent. This amounts to approximately 10 million more people.

The Hispanic viewership of this year’s All-Star Game in February surged by 13 percent over last year. Up to 472,000 Hispanic households tuned in, according to the Nielson ratings.

Particularly pronounced was the one-year jump in male Hispanic viewers between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four.

Written by Rob Kuznia, staff writer for Hispanic Business magazine, May, 2009, pp. 28-30. To subscribe to this magazine see: www.Hispanicbusiness.com.