The Summer Olympics May Be Over, but Here Are 5 Latinx Trailblazers in the Sports Industry to Get Inspired By
Athletes from over 20 countries across the Caribbean and Latin America competed in Tokyo for the Summer Olympics. From Ecuador securing its second ever gold medal with cycling, to Venezuela shattering world records in track and field, to Brazil winning the first gold medal in gymnastics history at an Olympics, millions were proud to cheer on athletes that pushed forward despite the odds. Their efforts and record-breaking successes inspired us to highlight other game-changing Latinos in the sports and athletics world. Whether you’re an athlete on the field, a coach or you work in other roles the sports or athletics industry, these 5 Latinos are likely to inspire and motivate you to think about what different career paths could be.
Mònica González: ESPN commentator, retired soccer player, founder of philanthropic girls soccer club
Following her time on the field first as a collegiate player for the University of Notre Dame, then as founding member of the Mexican Women’s National soccer team where she served as a caption for several years and helped lead them to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Monica Gonzalez switched gears and became a sports analyst and announcer for ESPN. At ESPN she gives expert analysis on subjects including women’s and men’s soccer, sports, and society.
Today, González is also the director of Gonzo Soccer, a non-profit soccer and leadership academy she founded for girls ages 6-16 in underserved communities. Gonzo Soccer initially started out as a one-day soccer clinic Monica hosted for young women of color in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago (which is predominantly Latino), but when the girls kept asking her to return, she ended up staying in Chicago to get it up and running as an Academy. Today, the girls not only learn to play soccer but they’re also taught skills to help them grow exponentially outside of the field including leadership development, the importance of giving back and volunteering, academics, and health and fitness habits. These days the non-profit is active in numerous communities in the United States as well as countries in Central and South America. Follow her on Twitter.
Ron Rivera: Retired NFL player, NFL Head Coach and community outreach leader
If you’re not catching him on the sidelines coaching the Washington Football Team in the NFL, you’ll find head coach Ron Rivera volunteering alongside his family and team in communities across the DMV region (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia).
Following the 1984 draft where he became the first player of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent to play in the NFL, Rivera has continuously displayed leadership through his own time on and off the field. Through his charitable giving and outreach programs, Rivera is combating social injustice for veterans and active military members, animal rights groups, food banks and hospitals and treatment centers. He has been recognized as NFC Coach of the Year and NFL Coach of the Year throughout his coaching career, but he’s also been recognized in his personal life for his big heart, generosity, and openness about his journey beating cancer. Follow him on Twitter.
Marysol Castro: Morning news anchor, the MLB’s first Latina public address announcer
Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Marysol Castro was highly ambitious from an early age and always had a desire to be in sports. As a child growing up in the Bronx, she either wanted to be a shortstop for the Yankees or get into politics. When she was 12 years old, she decided she wanted to get into boarding school and she did, earning a full scholarship to get in.
Today, Castro is an anchor on NYC’s iconic PIX11 Morning News and a public address announcer for the New York Mets. She made headlines back in 2018 when she started her role with the New York Mets because she was their first-ever female PA announcer and Major League Baseball’s first-ever Latina PA announcer. Throughout her two-decade career, Castro has worked in both local TV news and national network TV. Her past roles included being a weather anchor on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” on the “The Early Show” at CBS, and a reporter on ESPN — all positions primarily dominated by men. Earlier in her career she taught English at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn. It was after attending Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism that she began her career in broadcasting. Follow her on Twitter.
Luis Omar Tapia: On-air personality, sports narrator, charity organization founder
Luis Omar Tapia was born in Chile but at the age of 8 years old his family fled to Argentina and then eventually the US as political refugees. Growing up his father always told him that soccer was “90 minutos del deporte mas hermoso del mundo or "90 minutes of the most beautiful sport in the world, and today he uses that catchphrase ahead of every match he narrates. His time in Argentina gave him a love for soccer but his dream to play professionally was cut short in his early 20s after an injury
Today, Tapia is an on-air personality and global sports journalist for various media outlets including Univision and FOX Sports where he provides not only top of the line commentary but also entertainment through the crazy nicknames he gives the world’s best players. Some of the nicknames he is famous for giving include “Tarzan” for Carles Puyol, “The MGM Lion” for Fabio Coloccini and “Mufasa” for George Weah. Throughout Tapia’s 30 year career, he’s worked for ESPN, Telemundo, TV Azteca in Mexico, and has been invited by RCTV de Venezuela to report on the ‘98 Soccer World Cup and the ‘06 Soccer World Cup, and by Univision in the US for the ‘02 Soccer World Cup. Tapia is also the founder of The 90 Minutes Foundation based in Miami. The 90 Minutes Foundation is focused on helping low-income children with their educational and athletic goals. Follow him on Twitter.
Jessica Mendoza: Olympic gold medalist, ESPN Analyst, President of the Women’s Sports Foundation
Jessica Mendoza is no stranger to being a leader and breaking barriers. Throughout her entire softball career, she has shared a consistent message with her Latinx supporters: "Embrace the fact that you are different." To other women, she advises “no matter who comes at you, knowing that you belong starts within you first”. Her father was a coach, so growing up she played everything from soccer to softball to track & field.
A Stanford softball alumna and former member of the U.S. Women’s National team, Mendoza is a two-time Olympic medalist and three-time World Cup champion. As one of the most notable softball players of the 2000’s, in 20017 she smoothly transitioned into becoming a television sports analyst when she started the next step of her career at ESPN. She then became the first female analyst for nationally televised MLB games and the first female analyst for a Men’s College World Series. She is now one of the leading voices in ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage and in 2019 was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame.
Mendoza has continuously worked with the Women's Sports Foundation and served as an acting president. The foundation was established in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King to empower and advance the lives of women of all ages through sports and other physical activities. Follow Mendoza on Twitter.
Know of any other trailblazers or rising stars that work in the sports world that we should be celebrating?
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Authored by Bianca Alvarez.