Hispanic fans

The NBA launched its new "enebea" campaign late last month in an attempt to capture the Hispanic market.

With 77 foreign players hailing from 32 different countries, the presence of Latin Americans and Spaniards has given the NBA wide acceptance and prominence within the Hispanic community.

Marketing experts are working to increase the NBA ?s presence on television, the Internet, and establish more projects in communities, with the hope of increasing the NBA ?s reach into a demographic segment that is estimated to comprise 15% of fans. A Web site in Spanish ( NBA .com/enebea) has news about Hispanic players.

The league also plans to renovate Basketball courts in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Hispanic residents, as it did with the African-American community.

One of the professionals who has been enthusiastic about the NBA ?s new policy is Mexican forward Eduardo Najera, of the New Jersey Nets. "It is a great idea," Najera said. "I think the project will help fans identify with the players, in addition to the Hispanics, and in general I think it?s going to be a great chance for them to feel included in the NBA ."

On Oct. 18 the NBA organized the 18th game played in Mexico, the foreign country that has hosted the most games. The game, played in Monterrey and broadcast by NBA TV for the first time in Spanish, featured the Philadelphia Sixers against the Phoenix Suns, with the Sixers winning 116-94.

The NBA has also held preseason games in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.