DENVER — I saw something really cool that is taking place with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs this year.
I get it, the Suns beat the Nuggets last postseason and that's still a sore spot in people's minds -- but hear me out.
The Suns have partnered with Native Broadcast Enterprise radio stations to air Suns playoff games in the Navajo language. Arizona has one of the strongest Native American communities in North America with 22 tribes represented.
I am Native American, of Mashpee Wampanoag descent, so this really means a lot to me.
What a way to connect with the community.
There are still natives who don't speak English and those people love sports, too. So it only makes sense to try and give them a way to enjoy what is the NBA's best team at the moment.
It's things like this that make sports special and one of a kind. Not only are the suns connecting with a minority community, but they are growing the game within that community and making it more accessible.
Here in Colorado at some point, the Broncos, Rockies and Rapids all have had Spanish radio broadcasts in the past, representing the state's 22% Hispanic population -- that number according to the 2021 census report. It's the state's second highest population figure.
The Nuggets currently don't have a Spanish broadcast, and with the NBA being so popular, both here in the states and internationally, I think it would be an amazing asset for the nuggets to have something like that; to connect with their fans in a different way.
So props to the Phoenix Suns. Hopefully other NBA teams catch on, as we continue to expand and improve on the everyday normalcy of how we present games to fans.
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