The Steelers have hired a Spanish-language content intern in an effort to "appeal to Spanish-speaking football fans" and in hopes of "building a stronger international brand," according to Jill Beckman of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Steelers VP/Football & Business Administration Omar Khan said that Honduras native and recent TCU graduate Maria Rodriguez' role "creates an opportunity to engage with Spanish-speaking fans directly." Beckman noted a big part of Rodriguez' job "takes place on social media, where the team is trying to develop a strong Spanish-speaking following." The Steelers have 6.5 million Facebook followers, and "more than 840,000 are from Mexico, which is the largest following from Mexico for any team in the NFL." And 64,000 of those "came last season." Rodriguez and the Steelers staff also are "working to build their Spanish language Twitter account called Steelers en Español, @acereros, which launched in February." The account, which has about 2,500 followers, "posts promotional content in Spanish." In addition to strengthening their fan base in Mexico, the Steelers are "hoping to extend their reach farther into Latin America, going so far as to test Portuguese content for fans in Brazil" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/11).
