Worcester Red Sox Introduce “WooSox En Español,” Accessible Media Content Completely in Spanish
Earlier this season, the Worcester Red Sox introduced “WooSox En Español,” several different media channels through which fans can consume WooSox content entirely in Spanish.
Earlier this season, the Worcester Red Sox introduced “WooSox En Español,” several different media channels through which fans can consume WooSox content entirely in Spanish.
According to Michael Smithers, WooSox coordinator of Spanish content, the main goal of WooSox En Español is to reach as many people as possible.
“We want to reach other countries,” Smithers said. “A lot of countries know about the [Boston] Red Sox. The Red Sox have fandom in a lot of places in the world, but the WooSox are a team that is just starting to grow. It was created two years ago. There’s a lot of road to walk, but our main intention and our main goal is to get people in the Dominican Republic, in Mexico, in Venezuela, in Puerto Rico, in Aruba. Wherever we have Red Sox fandom, we want to have WooSox fandom as well.”
Currently, WooSox En Español exists on social media platforms @woosoxbeisbol on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, all run by former WooSox group experience intern, Jorge Andrés Touché. Spanish content can also be found on the Spanish WooSox website, which according to Smithers is something that is completely different and new.
“[The website] is where we have stories created by the main writers translated in Spanish, game recaps translated in Spanish, original Spanish stories,” he said. “We have all our promotions in Spanish, our fan guide in Spanish, basically everything you need to know about the WooSox in Spanish for people who do not speak English or are more comfortable just speaking or reading or getting their content in Spanish. We have that.”
Along with its social media presence and the Spanish website, WooSox En Español includes a Spanish broadcast for every WooSox home game. Led by Smithers and Andrés Hernández Abello, WooSox community relations intern, the Spanish broadcast grants fans the opportunity to listen to game and play-by-play commentary completely in Spanish.
According to Hernández, who hails from Barranquilla, Colombia, he and Smithers (from Puebla, Mexico) have been learning a lot from each another in terms of dialect and accents.
“It’s Spanish, but the accents are totally different,” Hernández said. “Even in mid-broadcast in the commercial breaks, we were just like, do you say this in Colombia? Do you say this in Mexico? Even in the baseball lingo in Spanish, it varies sometimes between Mexican and Colombian or Latin American. Sometimes we try to make it as neutral as possible, sometimes our accents go all out because that’s what we want to represent at the end. We’re Latino, we’re Hispanic, and we want to reach out to the Spanish community so that they can relate to us and how we speak and how we feel the game.”
In addition to global reach, Smithers said another goal of WooSox En Español is for WooSox Latin and Hispanic players to feel that they are being cared for and that they are comfortable.
“Most of them don’t even speak English,” he said. “They’re not English-speaking players, so we want them to feel comfortable. We want them to feel cherished. We want them to feel welcome and that they have a platform for them to get their own content in Spanish. They like to see one of their home run calls in Spanish with myself screaming or mentioning their name.”
Prior to his current role, Smithers gained media experience in Mexico by writing articles, conducting interviews, being in front of the camera, and networking with people in the industry. Transitioning from a ticket sales intern role, he said he is excited to now have the opportunity to build up Spanish content for the WooSox.
“This is the first time the team is wanting to [create Spanish media content], and they are trusting me to take care of this, to be able to develop it, to be able to make it grow,” Smithers said. “Always, first times are a little bit scary if you have nothing to rely upon. If you’re the first doing it, it’s going to be a little bit bumpy and you have to learn along the way, but it’s been great.”
As the first coordinator of Spanish content in the WooSox short history, Smithers said he gives a lot of credit to WooSox President Dr. Charles Steinberg for his vision of what WooSox En Español could become.
“[Steinberg] understands that importance of being diverse, of being inclusive, of being welcomed, of being global,” Smithers said. “We are a Triple-A team, we are a Minor League team, but that doesn’t mean we should stay local or stay original.”
Now halfway through the season, Hernández said WooSox En Español has already reached international viewers.
“It’s fun to see some international [viewers] that aren’t even into Spanish but they see our broadcast as a way to connect with the WooSox,” he said. “It was so fun to see that in the first week, to see people from all over the world actually watching our broadcast in Spanish.”
Going forward, Smithers said fans can expect more Spanish content involving WooSox players, such as interviews and short reels, as well as giveaways and more stories written in Spanish on the website. He said there is a possibility that the Spanish broadcast appears on NESN+ alongside the English broadcast, something that he does not think any other team in Minor League Baseball is doing at present.
“To expand, obviously we have to get to as much people as we can, have also the help from our players to share our content to the world, with their fanbase, with their family members in Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba,” Smithers said. “There is a lot of ways for this to expand, but there’s definitely a long way that we have to go. We have a lot of catch up to do, but I’m excited for the journey.”