Empowerment, community highlight Latinx in Sports event at MLB

Latine employees from five major sports leagues across the country were captivated by Claudia Trejos when she took the stage at MLB headquarters and shared her journey as a Latina working in sports.

From having to convince her parents to support her pursuit of a sports career to experiencing discrimination based on her appearance and accent, Trejos’ story resonated with many in the audience at the 2024 SOMOS Estrellas -- Empowering Latinx in Sports Professional Development event.

“Empowering Latinos/as in baseball and sports isn't just about representation; it's about recognizing the rich cultural contributions that elevate our game,” said Catalina Villegas, MLB’s director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “Our goal partnering with Latinx in Sports, Claudia Trejos and the other leagues was driven by a shared mission to unite our community.

Added Villegas: “We aim to provide valuable career skills and guidance that empower each of us to enhance our talents and advance our careers in sports. Together, we can uplift one another and create a brighter future for all.”

SOMOS Estrellas was hosted by the MLB SOMOS employee resource group on Oct. 3 in collaboration with MLB’s DEI team, Latinx in Sports, NFL La Liga ERG, USTA Juntos BRG, MLS SOMOS ERG and Conexión ?NE-B?-A (NBA) ERG. There were 277 total attendees -- 88 in person and 189 via Zoom.

With the goal of empowerment in mind, Villegas and international partnership activation coordinator and founder of Latinx in Sports Alana Meraz spearheaded the search for the right speaker to kick off the first iteration of the event. Trejos was the perfect choice.

“I was not meant to be a sports journalist at all,” Trejos shared on stage. “As a matter of fact, I came to the U.S. in 1990 hoping to become an M.D. ... It was a very violent time [in Colombia] -- it’s still very violent -- but back then, it was worse. So I fled the country at a very young age, and I wanted to pursue a higher education.”

Trejos did not become a doctor. Her career in sports began as a part-time worker while she was getting her bachelor’s in biology at UCLA. Her plan at the time was to pursue a medical degree, but she became a Hall of Fame sports journalist instead.

She worked in sports for more than 30 years. She became the first Latina color commentator in the NBA, Olympic boxing female reporter and Latina sports journalist to cross over from Hispanic to general-market TV in Los Angeles. Along with being a reporter, she also began to work as a motivational speaker for young professionals aspiring or working in sports.

“Claudia was amazing,” Meraz said. “She had a lot of really great advice and storytelling overall that I think left myself as well as other attendees feeling very empowered to be Latino and to embrace Latinidad, which was the purpose of the event.”

“She really united everyone in that room,” SOMOS ERG co-chair and manager of MiLB partnership activation Alyssa Morel said. “We all have that commonality of being Latinos or being an ally and we are in sports, but her energy, her words and her motivation brought us even more together.”

The event was set up in a different format from the panels conducted in the past. It was divided into two parts: a professional development workshop followed by a networking event, which included a tour of MLB headquarters. Trejos encouraged attendees to actively participate in her professional development workshop.

“I think this event was different in the sense that it almost felt like a TED Talk,” said Kevin Palacios, SOMOS ERG co-chair and senior coordinator of global consumer products (Mexico/Latin). “It felt like your tia [aunt] was telling you her journey to becoming who she is.”

One of the benefits of the connections created in the 3 1/2-hour event was the long-lasting sense of empowerment and community.

“It's awesome that we have the strength in numbers that we have in this country, and it no longer feels like you're unseen in some ways,” said Josephine Martinez, senior director of DEI at the NFL.