Fabian is the Union's newest Latino player after he was acquired in a $4M transfer from the BundesligaGETTY IMAGES
Union MF Marco Fabian is one of the team's newer players, and franchise execs said that his presence has "'accelerated' its recent outreach efforts to engage with Latinos," according to Jesenia De Moya Correa of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. After 10 seasons of "what many say have been fits-and-starts attempts, many wonder: Can Fabian invigorate the Union's Latino fan base?" When the Union formed in '08, some "assumed the team would capitalize" on the more than 350,000 Hispanics or Latinos living in the Philadelphia area. Yet many local Latinos said that they "feel a disconnect with the team." They said that the Union "don't cater to them," and "don't understand their customs or interests." Union Communications Dir Ryan Schwepfinger said that while attendance at home games has "generally gone down since the Union's second season, the number of ticket buyers who self-identify as Latino has remained the same" at 15%. Still, besides Fabian's arrival, the team's execs "cited a handful of new ventures aimed at connecting" with the Latino fan base. Among those ventures is a "four-game broadcasting partnership with Hispanic TV network UniMas to provide Spanish play-by-play announcing." Union Senior VP/Marketing Doug Vosik said that team execs have "met with representatives of the Mexican Consulate and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to find ways to engage with Latino communities" (PHILLY.com, 4/30).
