Charlotte’s pro sports teams are celebrating Latino culture, and I am here for it

On March 5, Charlotte FC lost to LA Galaxy. Four days later, the Hornets fell to the Celtics.

Despite the losses, both of those games have a few things in common that are Ws in my book: Hispanic music, bilingual announcers and palpable energy that you typically witness in cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta.

Why it matters: Hispanics are the largest growing population in Charlotte, which is becoming more diverse each day.

• The city hardly resembles those kids’ plates with the food dividers anymore. Instead, different communities are starting to blend together here. Charlotte is starting to become more of a melting pot.

It’s a characteristic of larger cities. You hear the term “melting pot” when referring to New York or Washington D.C., but not Charlotte. At least, not historically.

• Dairelyn Glunt, co-owner of Salud, for instance, moved to Statesville in 2000 from Santiago, Dominican Republic. She told me recently she remembers a time not too long ago when she was bullied for speaking Spanish.

My perspective: As someone who was born in Cuba and who grew up in Miami, I’m used to hearing people speaking other languages in public. My daily life includes blasting bachata and salsa while I clean. I speak Spanish daily with my mom and spanglish with my friends.

• It was a pleasant surprise recently to walk into the Spectrum Center and hear Bad Bunny blasting through the speakers and see Honeybees dancing salsa in the stands.
• I almost didn’t notice that I was dancing in my seat before the Hornets game started. Then it clicked.
• The players were wearing “Los Hornets” jerseys, the announcers were talking about Shakira, and I leaned over to my boyfriend and asked, “Are we in Charlotte, or are we in Miami?”

We had unintentionally ended up at Hornets’ “Noche Latina.”

The big picture: Sports are the great equalizer. Games are an opportunity for people of all races and backgrounds to get together and cheer for the same thing.

Hispanic/Latino culture and MLS go hand in hand. It is the most popular sport in the world, after all. So you almost expect to see people wearing sombreros at games, chanting in Spanish, and enjoying tacos at the tailgates. Charlotte FC said from the get-go they would embrace that culture.

• “We hope to build a strong, inclusive fanbase that truly reflects the diversity of the community across the Carolinas,” said Charlotte FC President Nick Kelly after the team was first announced. 

What they’re saying: NBA Latin nights are actually not anything new. I’m the one — in typical Hispanic fashion — who’s late to the party.

• “We’ve been doing this since the Hornets were the Bobcats,” Seth Bennett, the Hornets’ chief marketing officer, told me. The NBA started an initiative to increase engagement with the Hispanic community about 16 years ago called the Noches Éne•Bé•A (eh-nay-bay-ah), a month-long event in March.  

Yes, but: The Hornets are taking it a step further, and they’ve recently ramped up their community engagement year-round, not just during the month of March, according to Bennett. This weekend they’ll be at the Camino Community Center. “We’re trying to be better, and we’re looking for more opportunities to participate at the grassroots level,” Bennett said.

What’s next: Más! More of everything — music, food, culture.

• “It’s not just about Hornets games,” Bennett said. “It’s to make sure there are opportunities for the Hispanic community to come and enjoy the Spectrum Center just like any other members of the community.”