Alejandro Blanco > www.foxdeportes.com

Alejandro Blanco, Sports Journalist, Anchor at FOX Deportes

Could you tell us a little about your role at FOX Deportes?

Of course! First off, Greetings and thank you for this honor and the opportunity to talk to you. FOX Deportes hired me at the beginning of 2011 to be the face of its network in the United States, initially as commentator on Premier League, Series A, and by participating in most of the studio programs. Currently I host “Fútbol Sin Códigos”, a debate show and I am the commentator for the Mexican soccer games.

What is your best attribute as a leader?

First and foremost I believe it is because I think of the public, our audience, and I try to connect with them and think like them, anticipating what they expect from us, thinking about what we can offer them with a growing sense of commitment and quality each time... I’d say it is that ongoing search for empathy with our public, who are our most valuable assets, and what’s important to the audience.

Does being Hispanic have any influential factor that you apply to your career?

Your roots definitely mark you; they’re an important indicators of your way of being and of your personality. In my case, it helps me tremendously to understand not only the American audience but the entire Hispanic audience living in the United States, and it helps me to strive for a rich blend of commentary that allows us to identify with both groups and seek to satisfy their needs in a global way.

When faced with adversity, ¿how do you decide to go on?

Well, in adversity there are always circumstances that sustain you and drive you to forge ahead. In my case, I find support in my friends, my family, but especially in all the feedback and the love that I get from the audience, which always encourages you to get up and go on, and find a way, each day, to be better for them. We owe them so much... we owe them everything! And that’s how we must see it.

What’s the greatest challenge you’ve ever faced?

Throughout my professional career and my everyday life there have been, and there will always be, new challenges and issues, so I can tell you that precisely a few years ago, one of the most significant challenges for me was moving to a market that was then still uncharted, leaving Mexico to live in Chicago, starting in a new market, leaving many things behind, but most of all, facing a new challenge, a huge challenge, which fortunately, with the support of my loved ones and my audience, became more and more bearable until I made it my own, one more episode and one more story in this journey.

If you could change just one thing in your life, what would it be?

I believe I wouldn’t change anything in particular, because when you decide to do something it’s because, at that moment, it’s what you wanted to do. Perhaps I would just seek to improve, always improve in every way, learn from my mistakes, always identify my areas of opportunities and dynamically seek, day by day, to be better, to be a better person to others and a better person for myself.

What did you aspire to when you were a teenager?

I always loved sports; I dreamt of going to games, of commentating them live, and of just being there. The truth is I was very fortunate, as I can truly tell you that I made it, and I am very lucky because so many of us have teenage dreams and very few of us can make them come true. So, besides being able to contribute with what I love the most, this allows me to be close to those fans, who are demanding and passionate seekers, much like I was many years ago. I understand them, I walk in their shoes.

Tell us who are the three leaders that you admire the most

In the world of sports, of course, someone who was a huge influence on me since I was a kid was Michael Jordan: his determination, his success, his leadership, his perseverance in never giving up, never being afraid of making a mistake and in turning his faults into the key of his success. Ghandi and Nelson Mandela, both of whom had an outstanding history of leadership.

For your business meetings, what’s best: breakfast, lunch or dinner?

None of them, I think; it always depends on the best time, the best place, and on trying to find a convenient time for everyone, to be mindful of other people’s time, and simply adapt. That’s one characteristic that we must all have and understand: the ability to adapt.

What sacrifices have you had to make in your personal life to be successful in your career?

Mainly, I’ve often had to be far away from my country, my family, my friends and loved ones, my customs, my food, my usual activities. However, as I mentioned before, the ability to adapt makes sacrifices much more tolerable, especially when you feel that they are worth it and that you are making them for much greater causes.

What is your favorite thought or saying?

Do whatever you have to do, but always do it well, do it better.

Is it difficult to be unconventional?

It is difficult; however, when you have so much feedback, both positive and negative, from the people who follow you and always care for you, it helps you with self-reflection, it helps you to seek your areas of opportunities and work at them, and thus you become exceptional not always for yourself but because of others, because of the people who surround you, your experiences and life events. Each and every one of us is unique.

What’s the most serious mistake you ever made?

I prefer to regard mistakes as lessons; day by day, in our work, we learn new things, we’re always learning. Actually, it would be a mistake to always remain the same and not evolve.

Do you consider yourself an innovator? If so, why?

I believe that the profession itself forces you to be innovative, to be more competitive, to try to give something more, a plus, an added value that will make a difference to the fans , that they will like and identify with, and yes, that definitely takes a great doses of daily innovation. 

About the company

FOX Deportes is the No. 1 Hispanic sports brand in the U.S. FOX Deportes offers top-tier sports event programming, award-winning original programming and cutting-edge production values. It is the standard bearer of high-quality sports programming in the U.S. Spanish-language television marketplace.

Boasting more than 2,100 hours of live and exclusive programming, FOX Deportes has steadily increased its distribution and today lives in 6 million Hispanic households and reaches more than 18 million cable and satellite households across the U.S.