Latino League in Northern Colorado Unites Baseball Lovers

BASEBALL LEAGUE IN THE GREELEY AREA

Sofía Márquez / Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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It’s a hot Sunday morning at a baseball field in Gilcrest, Colorado, it’s 98 degrees, and a group of players huddle in the visitors’ dugout, all dressed in red as the Devils. While in the other dugout, in purple, are the Angels. Despite the heat threatening to hit triple digits, everyone is in high spirits, joking with each other, ready to get the game started.

The families of the players, meanwhile, seek shelter under the shade of the trees that are there. From there they will have to follow the game with interest, and when instead they will cheer on their own. This is a typical weekend for Northern Colorado Latino Baseball League teams. For Latinos, baseball is a cultural staple, something that brings them together.

Liga latina en norte de Colorado une a amantes del béisbol

Many use sport as an excuse to get together with family and friends, enjoy the afternoon playing, watching or cheering from the stands. For the members of the Latino League of Northern Colorado, this is what brings them together each week, it’s the high point of the week, what they look forward to during their days of hard work.

Broadcasts on Facebook Live

“I have been playing in this league since 2003. Before, I used to play in Fort Collins, in a league with North Americans. I felt strange because they play baseball differently without much respect for the rules”, tells us Raúl Gallegos, manager of the Los Diablos team and current president of this northern league.

Gallego assures that in this the league is played for fun; however, players take it very seriously. “We are all enemies until the game is over,” jokes Gallegos. They take it so seriously in fact, that they hired José Sifuentes, “El Pistolero,” a radio announcer to broadcast live and narrate the incidents of the games on Facebook Live.

The broadcasts of “El Pistolero” are seen by the families of the members who were unable to attend. “We have teams with players from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, from all over Latin America. This broadcast is also heard by relatives in other countries. We have them present in Colorado, watching our game,” said Sifuentes.

Forming your own community

For some of the players, baseball passes from generation to generation. “My dad and uncle started this team in 1992. When I was young I always went to games with my dad. As he and my uncle got older and moved away from the team, my brother and I took over,” José Ávila, coach of the Angeles team, tells us.

This league means a lot to all the players involved. The spectators are not only the family of the players, they are their fans, their number one supporters. “Every Sunday, we get so excited to be here.” You may not see many new faces in games, but the familiarity is what makes their league special.

Latino League in Northern Colorado Unites Baseball Lovers Liga latina en norte de Colorado une a amantes del béisbol

This is a close-knit community, a family full of respect, that competes every Sunday. If you live in Northern Colorado, and want to see a baseball game with talented and passionate players, be sure to look for one of the many games held by the Northern Colorado Latino League.