Latinos are Fueling a Sports Industry on Fire

In the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15^th – October 15^th), corporate America, political leaders, and national media are once again shining a spotlight on the Latino community. This segment’s growth, spending power, and cultural demographics have impacted virtually every sector of society, and sports are no exception.  

However, a fundamental misunderstanding remains. The Hispanic segment is not a philanthropic box to check. It’s a business imperative and competitive advantage that sports leagues, teams, and brands ignore at their own peril.

Size of Prize

Let’s start with sheer numbers. Latinos comprise 65 million people, 20% of our population and one out of every four births. At $4.4 trillion in GDP, the U.S. Hispanic economy is now the fourth-largest in the world—larger than every country except the U.S., China, and Germany. And there’s no question sports are having a moment. McKinsey projects the U.S. sports economy will nearly double from $160 billion to more than $300 billion by 2035—and Latino fans are on track to drive $1 out of every $3 of that growth.

Notably Younger

Latino sports fans are considerably younger than the general population. A striking 72% are Gen Z or Millennial, compared to just 50% of U.S. sports fans overall.  This represents the future of sports fandom and offers a longer timeline for brands and leagues to build lasting relationships. On average, Latino sports fans are a full decade younger than sports fans overall. 

A Rising Tide Lifts All Sports 

Hispanic players don’t need to be represented on the field to make the games entertaining for those fans. With the help of Chemistry Cultura, our NFL client has spent years developing a campaign called Por la Cultura, engaging Latino influencers and heavily promoting games on Spanish-language broadcast networks, along with social content in-language and in-culture. 

Counterintuitively, even hockey is getting in on the action! Latino fans are 52% more likely to be avid NHL followers than the general population, and Latino engagement with the League on social media grew 13% year over year.

Digital Natives 

Hispanics are highly engaged across digital platforms, with a strong preference for consuming content online. Latino fans are 38% more likely to use TikTok for sports news and consumption, while nearly 50% of younger Hispanic fans prefer to watch on smartphones or tablets.

Culture not Language

We are seeing rapid growth of English-dominant Hispanics, with 15% year-over-year growth in MLS fandom from English-speaking Latinos (2024-2025), and 9% year-over-year growth in bilingual NFL fans. This is changing the game for marketers to engage via passion points such as music, arts, and culinary, rather than Xs and Os. We leveraged this approach to great success, helping our Heineken client amplify its sponsorship of Inter Miami CF, leveraging humorous social teaser videos in English to reach a mostly Hispanic South Florida fanbase. 

From Fandom to Revenue 

Latino fan engagement directly correlates to increased viewership and revenue for teams, leagues, and advertisers. Hispanic fans are 11% more likely to purchase a brand after experiencing a sponsor message, and 20% more likely to purchase or recommend a company that sponsors a sport they follow.