Here Are the Latinos Heading to Super Bowl LIX
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 08: The NFL logo is pictured on a Wilson brand football before the game between the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers at Ford Field on October 08, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Super Bowl LIX will be taking place in two weeks, and we now know which teams will be competing for the championship. The AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs, who are looking for their third straight Super Bowl trophy, will face the NFC Champions Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9 starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT. The game will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The playoffs started with sixteen Latino players, but only two of them will be playing in the Super Bowl—both members of the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Philadelphia Eagles have no Latino players. That sounds like a low number, but we almost had a Super Bowl with no Latinos. If the Buffalo Bills had beaten the Kansas City Chiefs and faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, we would have had no representation from our communities in the biggest NFL game of the year.
In a season that saw the first NFL game played in South America—in São Paulo, Brazil, after Mexico previously hosted NFL games, that would have been a real shame. Representation from our communities in the game is not what we want it to be yet, but the interest continues to grow and so does the fanbase. So, while we can’t celebrate a Super Bowl where both teams have Latinos, here are the Latino players you can catch during the Super Bowl and what position they play.
Isiah Pacheco, Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage – Kansas City Chiefs, Running Back
Matt Araiza, Mexican heritage – Kansas City Chiefs, Punter
Super Bowl LIX is set to air on FOX. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on both Telemundo and Fox Deportes.
