VIVA NOLA APRIL MAY 2023

Out and about
The New Orleans Pelicans
“en ESPañol”
The love for basketball has
always been present in
the Latino community. With
the great season the New
Orleans Pelicans are having,
there are more reasons and
more ways to follow the
Pelicans closely and not miss
a single play.
Those behind the team
attend in-person games,
watch on television, and
follow pre and post-games.
But now, Latino fans who
don’t want to miss a beat
can get behind the Pelicans
by listening to the local
game broadcasts entirely in
Spanish on Radio Tropical
105.7 FM New Orleans and
94.7 FM Baton Rouge.
This season the New
Orleans Pelicans and
Crocodile Broadcasting
Corporation closed an
agreement to broadcast
the local games with playby-play
analysis and color
commentary to the Latino
audience. This outreach
effort brings the Pelicans’
basketball experience
to the Spanish-speaking
community of Southeast
Louisiana. The live broadcast
announcers are Juan Carlos
Ramos, Victor Quiñones,
and Mario Jeréz, a team of
sports connoisseurs with
experience behind the
microphones who bring a
lively and very Latino touch
to Pelicans games broadcast
in the city. According to
Mario Jeréz, “Diversity is
part of what makes New
Orleans great, and with
these broadcasts, the team
is showing us that they
agree and want to help
highlight that diversity.”
Jeréz is confident that “the
Spanish Broadcasts will
help to establish pride in the
Pelicans’ colors and reach
a new, passionate group of
Pelicans’ fans.”
Although it is not so
common to have Latino or
Spanish-speaking players
in the NBA, for several
seasons, the New Orleans
Pelicans already count on
the presence of the New
Yorker José Alvarado,
who’s of Puerto Rican and
Mexican parents and Willy
Hernangómez, a Madrid
native. Alvarado made his
NBA debut in November
2020 with the Pelicans,
and earlier this year, he was
named the Most Valuable
Player in the NBA All-Star
Rising Stars Game. Alvarado
has had some exciting plays
this season, despite suffering
an injury that left him on
the bench for a few weeks.
Latino fans root for Alvarado,
as they feel represented
due to his Puerto Rican and
Mexican descent and the
fact he has represented
the Puerto Rican team
internationally.
The New Orleans Pelicans
speak Spanish, thanks to
Guillermo Gustavo “Willy”
Hernangómez, a champion
from the Spain Basketball
League. He was drafted into
the NBA in 2016 and signed
by the New Orleans Pelicans
in 2020. He comes from a
family of champions, with
his mother, Margarita Geuer,
a gold medal European
champion, and his brother,
Juancho, also plays in the
NBA.
Visiting the Pelicans’ nest
at the Smoothie King Center
is an excellent experience
for children and adults who
want to see some basketball
action with fun activities for
the whole family. An NBA
game is a unique spectacle.
Beyond the awe of seeing
professional players in
person, there is no time to be
bored. Instead, the audience
can enjoy the halftime
show and games on the
court during the breaks and
participate in the on-screen
contests. Often, spectators
will walk away with Pelicans’
gifts, like the jerseys that
get catapulted all over the
stands.
Now that you are a
Pelicans fan, there is no
excuse to miss any move
from your New Orleans NBA
team, even “en español.”
Remember to listen to the
Spanish broadcasts on
Radio Tropical 105.7 FM in
New Orleans and 94.7 FM
in Baton Rouge. Click here
or visit vivanolamag.com for
more ways to catch the New
Orleans Pelicans games.
Go Pelicans!
10 ~ VIVA NOLA April / May 2023