
Game Changers: 11 Afro-Latino Athletes Who've Ruled The Playing Field
Considered heroes in their homeland and nations around the world.
World-renowned sportsmen like baseball icon Roberto Clemente and soccer legend Pelé were not only star athletes, they were considered heroes in their homeland and nations around the world. Their pioneering careers left an everlasting impact on future athletes, inspiring the Alex Rodriguezes and Ron Riveras of our time.
Cleveland Indians player "Minnie" Miñoso breaking the color line in sports gave others permission to do the same. With New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony at a basketball forefront and viral sensation Sophina DeJesus inspiring a new generation of athletes, sports wunderkinds of color from all walks of life will continue to level the playing field in arenas that span the spectrum.
In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, we acknowledge these Afro-Latinos – some legendary, others on the come up – who will undoubtedly influence and continue to influence the world of sports.


Sophina Saáde DeJesus

Luis Tiant

Roberto Clemente
There’s no denying the impact Roberto Clemente has had on Latinos in baseball. The native of Carolina, Puerto Rico became the first-ever Boricua to play in the National League as a right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente earned the title of “All-Star” for twelve seasons and was the NL Most Valuable Player in 1966. He was also the NL batting leader in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove winner for twelve consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average was over .300 for thirteen seasons and garnered 3,000 major league hits throughout his career. He also played in two World Series championships.
During his flight to a charity mission to Managua, Nicaragua in 1972, Clemente’s plane crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico. There were no survivors, and his body was never recovered. In 1973, Clemente was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which made him the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be immortalized.

Idalys Ortiz

Carmelo Anthony

Mychal Rivera

Pelé

Victor Cruz

"Minnie" Miñoso

Roberto Clemente

Arian Foster
The Houston Texan’s star runningback Arian Foster has been able to make an astonishing name for himself on and off the field. Since joining the team in 2009, the Mexican-American athlete continues to hold franchise records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. His signature “Namaste” bow has become synonymous amongst the Texans’ loyal fan base.
Although he’s known as one of the best runningbacks in the league, Foster has managed to gain some notable experience in front of the camera. Foster has appeared in several documentaries, guest-starred in TV series like Hawaii 5.0 and land roles in major Hollywood films like Draft Day starring Kevin Costner. If his football career doesn’t work out, Foster has the potential to flourish and become a pro in another multi-million dollar industry.

"Minnie" Miñoso
Saturnino Orestes Armas "Mnnie" Miñoso aka "The Cuban Comet" and "Mr. White Sox", was the first Afro-Cuban in the major leagues and the first black player in White Sox history. “Minnie” began his baseball career in 1946 after he played as an All-Star third baseman with the New York Cubans. Miñoso was signed by the Cleveland Indians after the 1948 season at the time period when baseball's color line slowly fell. Miñoso went on to become an All-Star left fielder with the Indians and Chicago White Sox. In 1951, he was the one of the first Latin Americans to play in an MLB All-Star Game. In time, Miñoso became one of the most popular players in White Sox franchise history. He held the White Sox record for career home runs from 1956 to 1974. Nearly two decades after the White Sox retired his uniform and his induction to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, the team debuted a statue of Miñoso at U.S. Cellular Field. Miñoso passed away at the age of 92 last March.

Luis Tiant
Luis Clemente Tiant Vegas is a former right-handed starting pitcher. Tiant pitched for 19 years primarily for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. Over the span of his long-standing career, Tiant amassed a 229–172 record with 2416 strikeouts, a 3.30 ERA, 187 complete games, and 49 shutouts in 3,486.1 innings. The player of Cuban descent was an All-Star for three seasons and 20-game winner for four seasons.
Tiant was the American League (AL) pitching champion in 1968 and 1972. As the AL leader in strikeouts for 9-innings in 1967 and the AL leader in shutouts in 1966, 68, and 74, Tiant was finally inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame In 1997.

Pelé
Brazilian soccer idol Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pelé is considered the most successful league goal scorer in the world. Throughout his legendary career, Pele racked up at least 541 league goals. In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, including unofficial friendlies and tour games. He was listed in the Guinness World Records for most career goals scored in fútbol. During the prime of his career, Pelé was the best-paid athlete in the world. In Brazil, he is revered as a national hero for his accomplishments in soccer and for his vocal support to improve the social conditions and help the poor. In 1961, serving President of Brazil Jânio Quadros deemed Pelé a national treasure. After becoming an athletic icon in sports and foreign film, Pelé was elected “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee. ‘Time’ also named him in their list of 100 most influential people of the 20th century. In 2013, Pelé received the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur award in recognition of his career and achievements as a global icon of football.

Arian Foster
