Yolanda Ruiz-Castellanos
"Yoli Rojo"
Phoenix · Arizona Cardinals
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About
Yolanda grew up in Maryvale, the predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood on the west side of Phoenix bordered by 51st Avenue and Indian School Road, where over 75% of residents are Hispanic and where Cardinals fandom has been passed down like language and recipes. Her father, a landscaper who helped build some of the Westgate Entertainment District infrastructure near State Farm Stadium in Glendale, took her to her first Cardinals game when she was seven years old — she still has the ticket stub. She attended Carl Hayden Community High School on West Thomas Road and earned her broadcast degree from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Tempe. She's the youngest correspondent in the MiTL Sports Desk stable.
Fan Perspective
Yolanda is the 'belief-despite-evidence' Cardinals fan — she has lived through enough 4-13 seasons to know that optimism is a choice, and she makes that choice every single year with the full knowledge of the franchise's statistical history. She covers the Cardinals with the conviction of someone representing Maryvale and west Phoenix, communities that rarely see themselves centered in national sports coverage. She is fiercely proud of the team's Mexican-American fanbase and talks about it constantly on air.
Local Coverage
Yolanda pre-games at Filiberto's Mexican Food on West McDowell Road in Maryvale — her family's chosen carne asada burrito institution since childhood — then drives out to the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale for the Champions Plaza pregame scene before Cardinals home games at State Farm Stadium. She watches away games at Changing Hands Bookstore and First Draft Book Bar on Camelback Road in Phoenix, where she reads a chapter between drives. Her post-game comfort food is her grandmother's menudo made on Sundays in Maryvale, win or lose.