Building a bilingual clubhouse with the Washington Nationals

Speak partnered with the Washington Nationals to bring language learning to every player and staff member across all league levels. It's one of our first MLB partnerships, and it reflects something we've believed for a long time. Language learning isn't a perk. It's a performance tool.

Meeting in the middle

This isn’t a program to help Latin players assimilate. It’s a two-way street for the entire organization. With English and Spanish as the two primary languages across the roster, and Japanese increasingly in the mix, the goal is for everyone to move toward each other. The target isn't fluency overnight. It's a serviceable level of communication that eliminates the grey area on and off the field.

A signal for the industry

This partnership is also a reflection of where professional sports is heading. Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, all MLB clubs are required to make language learning opportunities available to their players. The need is structural, and it's only growing as rosters continue to draw talent from across Latin America.

"Professional sports organizations are sitting on one of the most overlooked opportunities in team growth and development, with language,” said Speak’s COO Colton Gyulay. “The Nationals understand that communication is a competitive advantage, and they're investing in it accordingly. We hope this partnership is a signal to other teams and leagues that this isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential to building cohesive, high-performing organizations. We're just getting started in sports."

The Nationals are leading the way. We're here for every team that follows.