It had been over a decade since Steve Guasch last delivered Spanish play-by-play for a football team – the 2014 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
When UI Athletics Department officials gave him a call about broadcasting its football games in Spanish last year, he knew right away it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s an opportunity to bring us closer to our Latino community,” Guasch said.
Guasch, Spanish broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners, is back behind the mic for another season of Spanish-language Vandal football broadcasts on La Poderosa 100.7 FM, a Spanish station under Radio Rancho Media that reaches 52% of Idaho’s Hispanic population.
He will once again team up with former Vandal kicker/punter Ricardo Chavez.
Guasch was part of last year’s debut, when the university broadcast three football games in Spanish – a first in the school’s history. This year, the university has announced that five games will air in Spanish.
The next broadcasts in Spanish are Oct. 11 against Northern Colorado, Oct. 25 against Portland State, Nov. 8 against UC Davis and Nov. 22 against Idaho State.
Guasch said the response over the last year has been “incredible,” and he still receives messages on social media thanking him for his contribution.
“It’s something that makes me want to keep doing it, you know? Having the opportunity to do this when not so many can,” Guasch said.
Originally from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Guasch joined the U.S. Army in 1987, which led him to Fort Lewis, Washington. After three years of service, he decided to settle in Washington state but emphasized that while he’s thousands of miles away from Puerto Rico, it’s been important for him to stay close to his roots and continue to represent his island.
Chavez said working with Guasch has been a rewarding experience, adding that Guasch made him feel comfortable as he stepped into something new.
“He brings so much energy, knowledge and professionalism, and I felt like we were able to build really good chemistry quickly,” Chavez said. “To be back again this year alongside him feels exciting, because now there’s already that foundation.”
He said knowing that he and Guasch are working together to provide coverage of the large Latino communities in both Washington and Idaho has been valuable to him and his family.
“It’s honestly very special to me. Now, even my grandparents can listen to me,” Chavez said. “It just brings the community closer, and it makes me proud to know that what we’re doing goes beyond the game.”
Guasch said he is looking forward to bringing more energy to this year’s Spanish broadcast games with Chavez and hopes more Latinos across the Inland Northwest will tune in for excitement and fun.
“For us to be able to do that and bring Spanish broadcasts here when we’re so far away from our homes, I think brings us closer together. It speaks to us,” Guasch said. “If you hear a broadcast in English, they do get excited, but when we do it in Spanish, we go nuts. It’s electrifying.”
