The league introduced Spanish-language team shirts to retailers in eight cities this season and plans to market them heavily the week of the Super Bowl, which will be in Houston on February 1.
The first run of Spanish-language merchandise on the shelves in Houston has already sold out, mirroring similar results in Tampa, San Diego, Miami, San Francisco, Oakland, Phoenix and Denver.
The league's focus on the fast-growing market was at the heart of an "NFL Hispanic Summit" held recently in Houston, where commissioner Paul Tagliabue and other league officials visited to hear about the Houston Texans' outreach to Latino fans.
Marjorie Rodgers, in charge of the NFL's Spanish marketing efforts, said the Spanish-language products are the latest in a long line of moves toward reaching Hispanic fans - and potential Hispanic fans.
Said Rodgers: "We've had teams for many years with Spanish-language broadcasts. The Cowboys have been doing it since the early 1970s" she said from her New York office. "We've understood we need to reach out to the Hispanic fan base. It began leaguewide a couple of years ago when our commissioner read the 2000 census."
