Interview with ESPN Deportes’ Alvaro Martin

Alvaro Martin and Raul Allegre at Invesco

ESPN Deportes is the first network to live-broadcast Monday Night Football games in Spanish. Spanish-Emmy nominee Alvaro Martin handles the play-by-play, while Super Bowl kicker Raul Allegre handles the color commentary. They’ve received great reviews for their work covering the games, and if I spoke just a little bit better Spanish I’d probably flip on their version of the game!

In preparation for Monday Night’s game between the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans, I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Martin a few questions. First we talked a little NFL, particularly their jobs as Spanish broadcasters, their audience, and the NFL moving to foreign markets. Then he broke down Monay’s big game! Enjoy!

BroncoTalk – You and Mr. Allegre were the first to live broadcast Monday Night Football in Spanish, and have enjoyed success on ESPN Deportes broadcasting every MNF game these past two years. How, if at all, does broadcasting toward a Spanish-speaking audience differ from an English-speaking audience?

Alvaro Martin: Given that we cover the U.S., Puerto Rico and territories that run from Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego, we may spend a bit more time explaining some rules, but the analysis and the context provided is second to none. Only fully bilingual viewers can compare our broadcast to that of other English-language networks. We aim to make their choice between ESPN’s English-language broadcast and ours in Spanish a difficult one.

BT – The NFL played its first regular season game overseas this year, which was met with a mix of criticism and praise. What is your opinion on the NFL expanding to foreign markets? Should the Super Bowl ever be played outside the US?

AM – It is a wonderful concept, provided there is grass-roots support for the sport in that geographic market. Mexico City made sense, because organized American football has been played there for over a century and it is currently widely played throughout Mexico. If the NFL were to schedule a regular season game annually, Estadio Azteca would have no less than 100,000 fans year after year. They understand the game, they currently play or played the game in the past.

In the U.K., or Germany or in China, holding regular season games will work insofar the NFL is willing to undertake a concentrated effort to get local kids to play touch football and for high schools, colleges and even soccer clubs like Arsenal or Bayern Munich to establish American football as part of the athletic activities. In the 15 years NFL Europe existed, the league failed to provide such grass roots support. Not developing a local taste for this sport risks making these regular-season games a fad – once the novelty wears off, it will be increasingly difficult for local promoters to offer the NFL monetary guarantees for these games.

The Super Bowl today is primarily a television event – as such it can be held anywhere. Holding it overseas requires a properly equipped stadium, a city with a nice climate, excellent security arrangements and an attractive time zone difference from the U.S.. Barcelona is a wonderful city, but where’s the stadium? Is the city secure for an event which is such an American cultural touchstone? What time will the game kick off – at 11:30 PM, local time?

I once told a roomful of NFL executives that my number one recommendation to an American league that is considering overseas expansion would be to avoid scheduling most of its games on Sunday, when King Soccer dominates around the globe. I was half-serious and half-joking, of course, but they failed to appreciate the humor. To grow internationally, the NFL will have to hustle and scratch to build its sport, the same way it did in the United States in the 1940’s and 1950’s, when professional American football took a back seat to baseball, college basketball and college football in the sports landscape. Will owners invest in projects aimed at developing the game overseas with uncertain return of investment when they are used to having sponsors, distribution partners and other interested parties throw money at them in the domestic market?

BT – On to Monday Night’s big game! Jeff Fisher and Mike Shanahan are the longest tenured head coaches in the NFL. What about each of them has made them so good to keep their jobs despite the high coaching turnover all around them?

AM – Most coaches tell you they do not believe in rebuilding, but Mike Shanahan is one of the few coaches who has shown that indeed, his teams every year have a chance to make the playoffs and in some cases, advance deeply into the postseason. His relationship with the owner is unusual in the NFL – it is as if they were business partners, and not just an owner and his top executive.

Jeff has done a wonderful job in a market with limited economic margin for error. He has survived a salary cap mess and some lean years in terms of on-the-field performance because of his coaching ability, his setting down roots in Tennessee, and his forthrightness.

BT – Both the Broncos and Titans are breaking in new, young first round quarterbacks in Vince Young and Jay Cutler. To whom do you give the edge when breaking down the play between these two players?

AM – Jay Cutler has a strong arm, surprising mobility and a very thick skin he developed while trying to beat much more talented teams while at Vanderbilt. Like Young, he has had difficulty going deep into his progressions quickly and seeing his third option on the field on time.

Vince Young is the prototype of the QB every team covets – perhaps the best athlete on the field when he is under center, with charisma and leadership traits to boot. However, I am not convinced he has yet developed the decision-making savvy the position requires. Does he read a defense quickly? Does he make adjustments? Can he get rid of the ball quickly, to the optimal option and in stride? Not yet, in his second year in the league. Will he? I think he has a better chance than Michael Vick ever did.

You are asking me a tough question. Perhaps technically Cutler is more polished than Young, but Young can do more on the field, and there is no question his teammates will kick it in gear for him, when they need to score in the clutch. Until Young can show me he can read the field pre- and post-snap, I would go with Cutler, in a close call.

BT – Let us know how you think this game will turn out. Will the Broncos be able to pull out a win against a good Titans defense and contain Vince Young?

AM – The Titans rank 19th in rushing average, but no other team in the NFL approaches their 319 rushing attempts so far. So the key is to ideally have the Titans face a deficit that removes their most effective weapon, out of the picture altogether. Let’s see how many points the Broncos can score in their first two possessions. If they get 10 or 14 points, they will put the game in Vince Young’s and his receivers’ hands. That Bronco secondary will be salivating.

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Special thanks again to Mr. Martin for taking the time to answer these questions.

ESPN Deportes Home Page (in Spanish)