Many Latinos have a passion for fútbol or American football, or both, but with the increasing population of Latinos in the United States, there has been a noticeable affection towards American football through an increase in Super Bowl viewership.

"Super Bowl XLVII ranks as the most-viewed show on record among Hispanic Americans reaching a total audience of 17.7 million Hispanic viewers," reportedly based on Nielsen demographic data (available since 1994). "In addition, Super Bowls rank as the top five and six of the top seven most-viewed shows among Hispanic Americans."

Nielsen also points out that "NFL viewing among Latinos is dominated by consumers who speak mostly English, or only English -- and conversely, bilingual and Spanish speaking Hispanics overwhelmingly favor (97 percent) Mexico National Soccer."

The preference for fútbol or American football depends on more than just the language Latinos speak, however. The different Latino customs and habits need to be taken into consideration. The study says that Hispanics of Mexican and Caribbean descent are more likely to watch the NFL, while soccer games still dominate the screens of South and Central American and Mexican Hispanics.

While traditional fútbol remains a steady fixture within the Latino community, marketers are seizing the opportunities that come along with Latino consumers' increasing engagement in American football. The NFL is reaching Spanish-speaking and bilingual Latinos as well. 

Why? In 2013, Forbes explored what resonates amongst Hispanic NFL fans. 

"As it turns out, the biggest factor driving growth of the NFL's Hispanic fan base is the media access the NFL gives to its Hispanic fans," Forbes explained.

"We have spent a lot of time really working with and asking Hispanic fans how they want to consume the NFL. For us, it is about making sure that we are delivering the game in customized and unique ways to serve the Hispanic population's needs," the NFL's vice president of fan strategy and marketing, Peter O'Reilly told Forbes.

"One thing unique about the NFL's distribution of its games to its Hispanic fan base, is that the NFL is the only major league in the United States to televise all of its games in Spanish. That the number of games it hosts each season pales in comparison to the other three leagues in the United States, gives the NFL a leg up in winning over the Hispanic market," Forbes noted. "It is much more financially feasible to televise a 16-game regular season in Spanish, than it is to say, televise an 82-game regular season."

"There is a media piece that's bringing the NFL to places it hasn't been. Some of this is tied to the number of games the NFL has each season, as we are the only sports league that delivers all of its games in Spanish," O'Reilly pointed out.

Besides televising all of its games in Spanish, the NFL has tapped into "other innovative media endeavors," to get its message across to Latinos, including programming with ESPN Deportes, Telemundo, Univision, and the NFL Network. Additionally, the NFL has utilized its own website to attract Hispanic fans and NFL teams like the Chicago Bears are trying to attract a wider Hispanic base.

"A lot of what we continue to do, is make sure we can teach the basics of the game in fun and accessible ways in Spanish. There is a section of our website that allows fans to go in and get answers to basic questions about the game in Spanish. We recognize that for some, understanding the game is a barrier to enjoying it," O'Reilly added.