KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City company is using football to help the Hispanic community feel a sense of belonging.
By broadcasting the Chiefs' games in Spanish, Tico Sports helps create a space where fans feel connected and represented.
While preparing for the AFC Championship game, Tico Sports' team keeps in mind one of their missions: connecting generations divided by a language barrier.
"They can have the TV on with probably the captions, and then they have the radio in Spanish, but they are all connecting; they are all seeing and watching the same thing," Oscar Monterroso said.
Monterroso wears many hats at Tico: CEO, founder, broadcaster, and the list goes on, on top of being "Tico" himself.
He shares the press box with Hannah Bassham, the color analyst for the Chiefs in Spanish.
Bassham’s grandmother doesn’t speak English, so broadcasting the games in Spanish means a lot to Bassham.
"It's important for me to honor my ancestors and my culture," she said.
A culture that, integrated with football, can be translated in many ways.
But sometimes, you don't even have to speak Spanish to know big things are happening on the field.
"It comes from inside, and you just have to feel it in the moment," Monterroso said.
Emotion also opens doors to creativity, and, why not, some fun.
"When there's a fumble and everybody jumps on top of the ball, I call it 'La bola de carne' — the meatball," Monterroso said.
Ruven Ortiz is an avid listener of Monterroso's Spanish broadcast.
"It's beautiful to listen to the Chiefs in Spanish," Ortiz said.
He believes the broadcast helps the kingdom in many ways.
"The more people that you can bring into the Chiefs Kingdom, the better," Ortiz said.
"We put more crema en los tacos; we put a lot of flavor into what we do," Monterroso said.
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