Mark Sanchez, Xicanosmosis, and the NFL

"VIVA SANCHEZ: Mark Sanchez is the face of the New York Jets' franchise and a symbol of success to the Mexican-American community he has warmly embraced.

The 22-year-old rookie quarterback is a third-generation Mexican-American who realizes he's in a unique position now that he's in the NFL.

"I don't feel like it's a burden," Sanchez said. "If anything, I feel like it just makes me even stronger and more excited to play for even more fans that are just tuning in. If that makes other people tune in to the NFL, I'm sure everybody else will be happy around the league."

The NFL has had its share of Mexican-American quarterbacks, including Dallas' Tony Romo, St. Louis' Marc Bulger, Philadelphia's Jeff Garcia, and former stars Joe Kapp and Jim Plunkett. None of them, though, played in New York with its huge Hispanic community."