CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Hockey Unveils Spanish Webpage

Published on November 26, 2003 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, Miss.—The Memphis RiverKings have had many firsts in the past two years (like their—and the city of Memphis'—first championship), and now they will add another to their steadily growing list: the ‘Kings have unveiled a webpage for their Spanish-speaking fans to enjoy at http://riverkings.com/espanol..asp.

The Spanish webpage was constructed in cooperation with La Prensa Latina Spanish newspaper. Sidney Mendelson, CEO of Mendelson and Associates and publisher of La Prensa Latina and Animal Times newspapers, said the website is a great service to Latino and Spanish-speaking fans.

"Hockey may not be those fans' first sport," Mendelson said. "Soccer may be their first sport or boxing may be their first sport or baseball may be their first sport. But the RiverKings' Spanish webpage will enable Spanish speakers to learn more about the sport and learn more about the event."

"The Spanish webpage increases the visibility of the sport of hockey and specifically the RiverKings in the Hispanic community. This makes available a whole new dimension in the sport. I think eventually you're going to see Latin hockey players. Many children now play hockey in school, and as they go to college, many schools and cities have hockey clubs. It's going to become a part of their vocabulary."

As more Hispanics in the Memphis area are becoming RiverKings fans, the front office has felt a growing need to serve the specific needs of their Spanish-speaking patrons. A webpage in Spanish was the next logical step in customer service.

"We are trying to embrace many different segments of the population and regionalize our following," said Vice-President of Marketing and Business Operations Gary Saunders. "Those are two tasks that are important to us. We feel that the Hispanic population is a vital, growing part of the community. We want them to feel welcome; we want them to feel part of the community; we want them to feel that the RiverKings are their team."

The RiverKings' relationship with La Prensa Latina has played a very important part in letting people know about affordable entertainment options that exist in the area.

"Although ice hockey has not traditionally been a part of Hispanic culture, the marketing process is really no different than marketing to black or white audiences in the Mid-South," Saunders said. "It's a sport that most people in the Mid-South area have not grown up with; so marketing to a Hispanic audience is not such a stretch, as almost everyone in the area is starting with the same amount of knowledge of the sport."

A major point on the RiverKings agenda is the community service performed by the team, using the players' celebrity power to help children, charitable and non-profit organizations.

"We hope that eventually services like the Spanish webpage will pay off not only in terms of increased following and bottom line, but also in that it will open another avenue for us to do good things in the community," Saunders said. "Not only do we want to provide entertainment that's enjoyable and affordable, we want to do good things in the Hispanic community, to get our players out there and involved, to have our mascots out there, to get our staff involved."

The popularity of hockey in border towns like Laredo, Texas, home to the CHL Laredo Bucks, is inspiring, Saunders said. Defenseman Derek Landmesser agrees.

"The atmosphere in Laredo is electric," Landmesser said. More than half of the Bucks' fan base is Hispanic, and the crowd brings to hockey the same sort of enthusiasm shown in the area for other sports such as soccer.

"It's a great place not only to watch hockey, but also to play hockey," Landmesser said. "The fans are always really into it. They bring drums and chant. It's always a good experience to play a game in Laredo because of the fans' love of the game."

The RiverKings have a Spanish-speaking employee who is excited about serving the Hispanic community and has spent time in Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil.

"Whitley Porter enjoys speaking Spanish and interacting with the Hispanic community," Saunders said. "She is available to take care of them, whether that means buying a ticket or bringing out a group or advertising their business through the RiverKings."

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 26, 2003


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