October 15th begins Latin heritage month in the United States. For Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua it is their independence day! For several of us latin families the festivities begin the night before, but for the purpose of this article we will begin on the day. On https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/index.html there is a great summarization of the history of Latin heritage month:

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.

It is true. It’s a celebration of our history, of our culture, and of our people. The Latino community is a community that loves sports, in fact the ball, or pelote, was created in MesoAmerica (Latin America). Football americano is not an exception to sports the latin community loves, in fact there are several latin people in the Fantasy Football Community.

Everyday of Latin Heritage Month, The Sports Affiliation will highlight a member of this community. Today we start with Kendall Valenzuela.
Kendall Valenzuela is the Sr. Analyst + Director of Social at Matthew Berry Fantasy Life. She is also a former analyst of PFF, 104.3 The Fan (Denver), Fox Sports, and even the Mariners ballgirl! She is one of the best in the business with analytics and sports betting. A member of the inaugural Queen’s Classic Live Draft at the NFL Hall of Fame, a proud Arizona State University Alumni, and a lover of all Seattle sports.
You can find Kendall Valenzuela’s work at https://www.fantasylife.com/ and follow her on X @kvalenzuela17

Thank you for reading, and we will continue tomorrow with another amazing Latin in the fantasy football community.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky – Ignacio