DENVER — "Mexico is Broncos Country" reads a celebratory post on the Denver Broncos' Facebook page after the team was awarded an International Home Market Area (IHMA) in Mexico.
According to a press release, by winning the IHMA offer, the team will have access to international territories to carry out marketing activities, fan participation and commercialization within Mexico. They said it's part of an important long-term initiative to build their global brand while driving the growth of NFL fans internationally.
The NFL announced that 18 teams were granted access to the IHMA program in eight different countries, including Mexico.
The announcement includes the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, the Arizona Cardinals and of course the Denver Broncos. These are the 9 organizations that were assigned to the Mexican territory.
"With the help of Joe Ellis, Marisol Villagomez and so many others, a genuine and expansive effort was made to highlight why the Broncos deserved this offer," senior vice president of strategy Brittany Bowlen said in a statement.
Outside of the Denver metro area, the largest population of Broncos fans resides in Mexico City, according to the press release.
"The Broncos have a very passionate and well-established fan base in Mexico, and we are delighted with the opportunity to expand our reach in that region to bring our fans closer to Broncos Country," Bowlen said.
To engage with the fan base in Mexico, the club has used its Spanish content team, comprised of five Spanish-speaking talents, to curate podcasts, insider interviews and dedicated social media pages to connect with international fans, according to the release.
The Broncos can begin to activate in Mexico on Jan. 1.
"Globalization is definitely something the NFL has been wanting to do for a long time," Kelly Evans, assistant professor of sports management at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said. "And the impacts that we'll see, especially on the Broncos, is there's a financial impact, but also strengthening those relationships, not only with the Colorado Latinx community, but in Mexico as well."
The Broncos, which were one of the first NFL teams to play in Mexico, have had a physical presence in the country for more than 20 years. In the last six years alone, the team has hosted more than 30 in-person events with fans in Mexico, ranging from flag football and cheer clinics, to player trips and virtual calls with fan groups.
"It is wonderful to know that the Denver Broncos will be part of the NFL's International Home Market Area (IHMA) and could have a physical presence in Mexico," said Berenice Rendon, Consul General of Mexico in Denver. "The Broncos initiative will strengthen an already excellent bilateral relationship between Mexico and Colorado, and will be very welcome to the many Mexican Broncos fans in our country. Congratulations!"
The Broncos aren't the only team that will be working in Mexico. The NFL said the Cowboys, Cardinals, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders, Rams, Steelers, and 49ers will be too. Other teams will be going to other countries, and some teams are going to multiple countries.
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