For new fans, Chihuahuas look south

Baseball is an international game. As such, the El Paso Chihuahuas are seeking an international audience.

The Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, are in the midst of their first-ever season, routinely drawing sellout crowds to Southwest University Park in El Paso. The city of Juarez, located in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and boasting a population of more than one million people, is clearly visible from the stadium. This cross-border view represents far more than just a scenic backdrop -- it represents what the team hopes will be a sizable portion of their fan base.

The Chihuahuas' Spanish-speaking promotional efforts are led by Angela Olivas, the Chihuahuas manager of marketing communications.

"It's important that we are a bilingual organization," said Olivas, a native El Pasoan who previously served as the director of media relations for University of Texas at El Paso athletics. "We need to be able to communicate with our fans, because our fans are our guests. … Mi casa es su casa -- that's part of our culture, we live by that here. We live it every day when our guests walk through the door."

The Chihuahuas routinely issue bilingual press release and have an official Spanish-language Facebook page. Here, the team's status updates are often tagged #andalechihuahuas.

"Our [English-language] slogan is 'Fetch the Fun,' but the way that translates in Spanish, it's longer and harder to say," said Olivas. "Andale is quick and rolls off the tongue. … It's funny, though, a lot of our Spanish-speaking fans are still on our English-speaking Facebook page."

When it comes to marketing the Chihuahuas to Juarez and its outlying communities, the Chihuahuas have partnered with a Juarez-based media marketing group.

"They have expertise in sports marketing in the state of Chihuahua, so they can give insights as to how to market and what avenues to take," said Olivas. "We've done print ads and billboards, but radio has the largest reach there. It's the most effective way to advertise.

"We've gone [to Juarez] a couple of times as well, meeting with Little League teams and speaking to their league presidents and coaches just like we do here," continued Olivas. "[Chihuahuas mascot] Chico has yet to be over there, but we did an event at the passport agency and he did receive his passport. We definitely want to make sure we have a presence there, so they know we're not leaving anybody out. We're affordable, no matter what side [of the border] you're living on."

The Chihuahuas have created weekend ticket packages that cater to their Mexican neighbors in Jaurez. (El Paso Chihuahuas)

Given the time and logistics involved with crossing the border and entering the United States, Juarez-based fans are more apt to make a weekend out of it.

"We're going to put together two or three-game packages, definitely more of a Friday-Saturday-Sunday thing," said Olivas. "That's more part of the culture -- to spend the weekend here, as opposed to waiting an hour [to enter the country] on a Monday night and then heading right back. It's a different demographic and we have to look at it that way… It's good for El Paso, too. We want visitors to come through and to keep coming back."

No matter where the team is located, Minor League Baseball is more about the experience of being at the ballpark than the action taking place on the field. This entertainment-first philosophy is what the Chihuahuas are attempting to promote to their potential fans in Mexico.

"They are most experienced with soccer, and we want to create that type of atmosphere, where we're the place to be on a Friday night," said Olivas. "But we also want to turn them into not just baseball fans but Triple-A fans. [In Mexican professional baseball] they don't play eight games in a homestand like we do -- it's a very different kind of baseball. These are some of the best players in the world, a different level than what they've seen in the past."

Mexican culture has certainly influenced the Southwest University Park experience. As I learned first-hand last month, the Chihuahuas boast one of the most diverse (and fantastically tasty) concessions menus in Minor League Baseball, highlighted by pork carnitas nachos, a huevos rancheros burger, Juarez Dogs, elote (corn), and the fruit-flavored dessert raspas. There is a multi-cultural approach to ballpark entertainment as well.

"During the seventh-inning stretch, after 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' we'll play a traditional mariachi song and it just brings the crowds to their feet," said Olivas. "People are just singing at the top of their lungs; that's what we do here."

If the Chihuahuas can maintain that sort of atmosphere while building their fan base, then long-term success will be assured.

"I want people to come to El Paso. We've got great weather, it's a great city, and I just love it here," said Olivas. "This ballpark means so much to me, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make good things happen here."