The Oakland Raiders have long recognized its Hispanic fan base. But it's only in recent years that the National Football League team stepped up its Spanish-language marketing and outreach efforts.

Today, the club owned by Al Davis has set the pace for embracing the Spanish-speaking member of Raider Nation. RaidersenEspanol.com, its official Spanish-language portal, offers a robust array of features - including video reports from its Hispanic radio announcers, player roster and statistics, fan club information, an online ticket window and a section dedicated to the Raiderettes cheer squad.

The website debuted in 2002 and received a major upgrade at the start of the 2008 season - a move that put Latino fans on the same level as non-Hispanics.

"The Spanish-speaking fan deserves a full-blown website, with a staff dedicated to it," says Elena Valenzuela, the Raiders' multicultural initiatives director and the person in charge of Raiders en Español.

Valenzuela says the hiring of full-time staffers devoted to the Raiders' Spanish-language portal was a no-brainer. "For us, it was simple - you have to communicate to your fans and give them what they need," she says. "It was clear that the Hispanic fan base is very strong for this team, and not just in the Bay Area. Plus, we were seeing traffic from places such as Uruguay, Argentina and Spain."

Valenzuela also says the team's investment in Raiders en Español has helped improve its Spanish-language coverage. "'Fútbol Americano' isn't easy to translate," she says. "How does one accurately translate 'touchdown' or 'interception'?"

Helping to answer that question are Guillermo Herrera, a journalist at Mexico City's Reforma newspaper; and Humberto Ortega, a Mexico-based television and radio sports journalist. Each contribute written columns to the Raiders' Spanish-language website, while Valenzuela is the reporter in charge of the site's post-game coverage.

The upgrade to Raiders en Español has thus far attracted one major sponsor - Coors Light, which enters its second season as a Hispanic market partner with the team. In addition to a prominently displayed logo on the website, Coors Light commercials air during episodes of the online show "¡Viva los Raiders!"

Coors Light's Hispanic sponsorship package also puts the beer brand front and center at Raiders' 2009 Fiesta Latina - the September 27 home game versus the Denver Broncos that's been designated as the Raiders' Hispanic Heritage Month event.

Verizon Wireless is the other major sponsor that's confirmed for Fiesta Latina, Valenzuela says. But Hispanic-specific sponsorships are still few for the Raiders.

A change in venue for its Spanish-language radio broadcasts could provide the Raiders the spark it seeks in the way of Latino advertising opportunities.

On July 28, the team signed a two-year agreement with KZSF-AM "La Kaliente 1370," a locally owned Spanish-language talk radio station. It's a return to La Kaliente from Univision Radio's KLOK-AM 1170, which served as the Raiders' Spanish-language flagship from 2005 through the 2008 season. The Raiders launched Spanish-language broadcasts on KZSF in the 2003 season, and the team has aired every regular-season game en Español since.

There'll be no changes in the broadcast booth, with play-by-play man Armando Botello teaming up with color commentator Angel Dinamita. Both are employed by the Raiders and also host the online ¡Viva los Raiders! program.

Joining Botello and Dinamita are two sideline reporters - a rarity for a team that broadcasts its games in Spanish. KHHT "Hot 92.3" in Los Angeles morning show member Víctor Zaragoza and sports journalist Sal Acevedo will augment the team's game coverage from the field.

La Kaliente's coverage starts September 14, when the Raiders host the Chargers in a Monday Night Football contest.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are directly interacting with Latino fans all across the Golden State. Itza and Jordan - the two Spanish-speaking Raiderettes - traveled to the Los Angeles suburb of Huntington Park on June 21 to participate in Telemundo Experiencia Deportiva - an event by the network's KVEA-Channel 52.

As Itza and Jordan smiled for the cameras, information on ticket purchases was distributed; caravans of Southern Californians can routinely be seen on Interstate 5, traveling to Oakland for a Raiders home game.

Next up for the Raiders is a weekly sportscast hosted by Valenzuela. It's set to air weekly on the 11PM newscast on Telemundo's KSTS-Channel 48. An official announcement about the arrangement is expected in mid-August.

Valenzuela calls the Raiders-centric segment another example of the team's role as a pioneer in Hispanic fan outreach.
"It is a testament to the team's 'Commitment to Excellence' - and its commitment to Latinos."