BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) -- Cal football has officially launched Spanish-language broadcasts for all home games on YouTube under a new campaign titled “Vamos Osos.” The broadcasts mark the first time in the program's 144-year history that the team is producing official game coverage in Spanish.
The effort represents a renewed commitment by Cal football to connect with one of its fastest-growing fanbases. The initiative launched at a time when a growing number of Latino athletes are playing college football across the country.
Val Grimaldo, digital content coordinator for Cal football, created the “Vamos Osos” initiative to connect Spanish-speaking fans to the program.
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“I used to listen to games in Spanish, wanted to bring that to the fans here,” Grimaldo said.
Brothers Enrique Zarate and Jesus Zarate serve as the team's Spanish-language play-by-play announcers. Calling live games together fulfills a childhood dream for the pair.
“We used to play Madden and pretend to announce together,” Jesus Zarate said. During games, the broadcast team celebrates big plays with calls such as “Touchdown! Osos Dorados!”
Enrique Zarate noted that interest in college football extends beyond the local Bay Area community into international regions.
“Football is growing really fast in Mexico and Latin America. We've heard from people in Brazil. Latinos are getting really involved and falling in love with the sport,” Enrique Zarate said. “It was honestly amazing to see all of the support within the community and just the great community that the Latinos have.”
He added that the local fan response has been equally strong.
Former NFL head coach and linebacker Ron Rivera serves as general manager for Cal football. Rivera emphasized the priority of expanding the program's outreach.
“Gotta reach the community,” Rivera said.
The broadcast initiative coincides with a growing number of Latino athletes participating in college football, including Cal defensive lineman Jericho Johnson.
“Being African American and Mexican American is obviously a part of me. It's my identity,” Johnson said.
He expressed enthusiasm for the representation on the field.
“I think it's awesome to be able to have our people and our community to be able to play this amazing game,” Johnson said.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
