NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At Plaza Mariachi in Nashville, soccer isn't confined to a television screen.
Before the first whistle blows, the celebration is already underway and for fans who gather there, it is where they experience the World Cup together.
Alex Ramos, a radio DJ at Activa 105.1 FM, which broadcasts from inside Plaza Mariachi, helps bring that energy to life. For him, being part of the celebration is about more than a broadcast.
"It's something pretty nice because in here everybody's together. It doesn't matter if you're from Egypt, Argentina, Brazil, Mexican, Colombians this community gets together in here," Ramos said.
The World Cup may be played thousands of miles away, but the crowd at Plaza Mariachi makes the distance feel smaller. Ramos said the energy inside the venue during matches is unlike anything else.
"The people you feel it. You charge the energy. You feel every scream every tear. More than 2,000 people here get together and scream 'Goal!' at the same time. It's something amazing," Ramos said.
For Ramos, bringing that energy to life isn't just work it's what keeps him coming back.
"I'm a radio DJ and I'm pretty happy to be part of this project I don't call this a job. I call my passion," Ramos said.
At Plaza Mariachi the biggest victory is finding community, one match at a time.
Are you one of the thousands who gather at Plaza Mariachi to watch the World Cup? We want to hear your story — what does it mean to you to experience these moments with your community? Watch the full report above, and share your thoughts with our reporter at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim Rafferty and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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