Following Mexico retaining its continental Gold Cup crown, the soccer team has been emerging as a “major” brand according to a recent Reuters article. In the past weeks and throughout different venues across the United States, the Mexican soccer team has been claimed to attract an average attendance of 71,500 fans including the 93,000 who joined the team live at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California for the Final game. A recent headline in the New York Daily News also refers to the Mexicans as “the new America’s Team” after attracting significant crowds at the Gold Cup Final game.
Adweek‘s writer Anthony Crupi reports in his latest story that this year’s Gold Cup Final match now ranks as the third-most watched sporting event in Univision history with a total viewership of 7.98 million, lead only by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Mexico and Argentina (9.36 million) and last year’s Final (Spain v. Netherlands, 8.82 million viewers).
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, we have so many Mexican fans in the United States and we have to say thanks for all the support we get,” said Manchester United 23-year-old, Guadalajaran striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez in the Reuters article, who is quickly becoming a global name in sports.
Mana, one of the most famous Mexican bands internationally known for their hits “En el Muelle de San Blas” (On the Pier at San Blas), “Rayando el Sol” (Daybreak), “De Pies a Cabeza” (From Head to Toe) and “Clavado en Bar” (Stuck in the Bar), made a special congratulatory mention of the Mexican soccer team’s championship scoring 4-2 against the US team while performing in front of nearly 16,000 fans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California as part of their US tour. According to a FOX News Latino report, Mana’s lead singer ended the evening hoisting his country’s flag and wearing the jersey of star forward “Chicharito”.
In addition to the Gold Cup championship with “Chicharito” as the most popular star, other Mexican sports young athletes have been getting international visibility in renowned competitions. Sergio “Checo” Perez, for example, is a 21-year-old, Guadalajara-born racer who has been competing in this year’s series of Formula 1 worldwide. Perez represents the first Mexican racer in Formula 1 after thirty years, and has been demonstrating great skills on his Sauber C30-Ferrari, a high-speed, state-of-the-art vehicle with aerodynamic efficiency, performance through low-speed corners and mechanical grip. He is scheduled to participate in the upcoming series of Formula 1 races, including Silverstone, U.K. on July 10; Nurburgring, Germany on July 24; and Budapest, Hungary on July 31. To get full details of the 2011 calendar for Perez’s upcoming races around the world, click here.
Thousands of soccer fans are expected to have their eyes on the television screen on July 4 as they follow the Mexican team on their next stop at the Copa America, considered the most important football event in Latin America, against the Chileans to be held at the Bicentenary Stadium in San Juan, Argentina.
Mexican Sports Stars are definetely all over the world