BALTIMORE _ As the Ravens finished their 42-21 trouncing of the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium to clinch the AFC North title, a pair of bundled-up Spanish radio broadcasters a hundred feet above the field hollered into their headsets.
"VIIIIIC-TORIAAAAA!" shouted David Andrade, play-by-play announcer for WDCN La Nueva 87.7 FM in Washington.
"KING OF THE NORTH! KING OF THE NORTH!" cried color commentator Gustavo Salazar, repeating a popular "Game of Thrones" reference.
The victory calls went out to more than 150,000 Hispanic listeners in Central Maryland, Washington and Northern Virginia _ and even more internationally _ who tuned in to the official Ravens "Thursday Night Football" broadcast on the radio or online, via the station's or the team's mobile apps.
The Ravens are among 17 NFL teams that have partnered with local Spanish radio stations in recent years, an integral part of a league-wide effort to broaden the sport's fan base in the U.S. and abroad.
"Partnering with La Nueva has allowed us to build a unique bond with the Latino and Hispanic community, which is a burgeoning segment of our fan base," said Patrick Gleason, a Ravens spokesman.
In their first year covering the Ravens together for La Nueva, Andrade, Salazar and producer/reporter Ximena Lugo Latorre have introduced _ to new and longtime football fans alike _ a soccer-style Spanish broadcast as energetic and captivating as the on-field highlights of quarterback and breakout star Lamar Jackson.
"That trio is always upbeat," Gleason added. "They do a terrific job of calling games and expressing the excitement that is Ravens football in 2019."
The crew members have backgrounds in sports radio, but they can hardly believe their luck in getting the chance to cover the NFL _ and the league's most entertaining and dominating team, no less. Andrade's offseason efforts alone kept the Ravens' Spanish radio broadcast on the air after it was canceled by his former station in 2018. Fans say they've loved listening along.
"We're having fun, man," Andrade said.
