Approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population is of Hispanic origin. That number gets higher on an annual basis and is expected to rise dramatically over the next 30 years.
Virtually every aspect of American society has been influenced by the steady influx of Hispanics. The NFL is no different.
While football boasts fewer Hispanic players than sports such as soccer, boxing or baseball, it has still had a significant impact on Latino culture, especially Mexico's.
Though most Americans might not know it, Mexico has its own college football division. It now consists of three conferences and has been played since the 1920s. It was first organized into a defined college league in 1978 called ONEFA.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 310
Games/Starts: 102/72
College: Texas A&M - Kingsville
There are several high-profile Hispanic players in the NFL and football has also become a primary outlet for many children acclimating to American culture.
Roberto Garza was one such kid. The Bears offensive guard was born in the Texas border town of Rio Hondo, just months after his parents had immigrated from Mexico.
While some boys in the town may have chosen to play another game, Garza's love was always football. He grew up playing it from a young age and credits much of his development to the support he has garnered from his hometown.
"When you have a small town of 1,600 people, it definitely is something that they are going to support you in," he said. "I played down there for six years, in junior high and high school. So they got to see me grow up and see the kind of person and player that I've grown up to be."
And that person he has grown up to be is one who has become a spokesmen for many causes, including the United Way and the American Diabetes Association. He is on the cover of this year's Madden Español and went through a battery of interviews to promote Hispanic Heritage Month on behalf of the iconic video game.
The player he has grown up to be is one who has started in a Super Bowl with the Bears and been a key contributor on their offensive line the past four seasons, despite playing without an anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He tore his ACL in 2003 and had surgery to repair it in January 2004. He found out the ligament had disappeared a year later. "I went to the Baltimore Ravens to have a free agent visit and they did an MRI on my knee and I had no ACL. I was shocked."
He ended up signing with the Bears and has not missed a game since the surgery, having started the last 34 in a row.
While such exploits have made him a hero in Rio Hondo (where he has a street named after him) and the Hispanic community, it would never have been possible had he listened to the misguided advice of a military recruiter in high school. Garza said the recruiter told him that Mexicans don't play in the NFL, so he should join the military.
This drove Garza even more to succeed and he used the slight as motivation for years.
"Any time someone tells you you're not going to do something, that drives you. And that definitely drove me to continue my career, trying to play in college football and trying to get to the NFL."
"Now I can stick it to that guy, 'you know what, I can play in the NFL and I proved you wrong.'"
While Garza's story represents the effect football can have on Hispanics, his is not an isolated example.
He is quick to point out that the sport is already so popular in Mexico, that "I don't think there is much they can do to promote the game any more than it is down there."
In fact, over 100,000 fans showed up to watch a regular-season game between the last-place 49ers and Cardinals in 2005. That contest, which took place in Estadio Azteca, was the NFL's first regular-season game played outside the United States.
Similar to the diverse nature of Hispanic culture, football's influence on Latin America has been broad and complex.
Not only has it allowed Mexican-American kids like Garza or Tony Romo or Pro Fooball Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz to fulfill their dreams of playing professional football, it has also afforded numerous other opportunities for Hispanics with a wide array of backgrounds.
Immigrants from countries such as El Salvador and Argentina have found their slice of American pie by playing in the NFL and the proliferation of Spanish-language broadcasts and websites have allowed Hispanic sports journalists to spread word about the game to an even larger audience.
Additionally, Hispanics have also played a significant role in coaching. Former Raiders coach Tom Flores, of Mexican descent, won two Super Bowls and current Chargers linebackers coach Ron Rivera, of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, directed the defense of the 2006 Super Bowl runner-up Bears.
As part of its international strategy, the NFL is constantly looking to spread the game throughout Latin America and around the world. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a recent chat on NFL.com: "We would love to play a regular-season game in Mexico as early as 2009. Since our first regular-season game in 2005, we have expanded our regular-season games internationally. We have great fans in Mexico and would like to bring more games and more football to our fans there."
Much work is left to be done for the NFL to continue growing in Latin America and the comparable small percentage of players, coaches and front office members demonstrates that fact.
Regardless, there is no denying the impact the game has already had on the Hispanic community and as Roberto Garza's story illustrates, one would be ignorant to discount the ability of a Mexican or any Latino to fulfill his dream of playing in the league.
