The Padres' "Domingos con los Padres" -- Sundays with the
Padres -- program is examined by Gregory Gross of the SAN DIEGO
UNION-TRIBUNE. The promotion, organized by the club in
conjunction with Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc, the makers of Tecate
beer, has already attracted more than 12,000 Mexican fans to Jack
Murphy Stadium this season. The Padres provide game tickets and
Tecate supplies buses which pick up fans throughout Baja, CA and
as far away as the Mexican state of Sonora, 170 miles to the east
of San Diego. For $10, fans receive a plaza-level seat and a
round-trip bus ride. Gross writes the Padres are also attempting
to become more Hispanic conscious by holding weekly Spanish
classes for employees and that ownership has attempted to "reach
out to the Spanish-speaking community on both sides of the
border" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/15).
NEW YORK, TOO: Luke Cyphers of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS reviews
efforts by NY-area teams -- most notably the MLS MetroStars -- to
"realize the Hispanic market." Eduardo Bottger, VP & Creative
Dir for Al Punto, a CA-based marketing agency that consults
Disney Sports and the Angels: "Teams are realizing they can't
afford to ignore Hispanics any more" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/15).
