Fil-Am Doug Baldwin primed for chance at second Super Bowl ring

GLENDALE, Calif. – It’s one of the world’s most watched sporting events — the Super Bowl.

And for the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, both teams bring with them Filipino roots.

Filipino American wide receiver Doug Baldwin has been one of the most vocal players on the Seattle Seahawks, from his angry rants to media week face offs against Hall of Famers turned analysts.

The spotlight has also given him the chance to share his Filipino roots speaking to Fox News Seattle.

“Being close to my grandmother whose full Filipino, I know there’s some responsibility there as well to show that hard work can get you whatever you want no matter what situation you’re placed into — it’s not just for the Asian descent,” said Baldwin.

Baldwin and the Seahawks won the Super Bowl a year ago. A second victory would bring him closer to matching another Filipino football player who once started for this weekend’s opponent.

In the early 2000s, Fil-Am linebacker Tedy Bruschi was a leader of the New England Patriots’ defense that went on to win three Super Bowls in four years.

Now an analyst for ESPN, Bruschi remains involved with his former team.

He presented the team with the American Football Conference Championship Trophy as they advanced to the Super Bowl.

As the Patriots face controversy over the so-called “deflate-gate” scandal, where the team allegedly altered footballs to their advantage, Bruschi has come to the Patriots defense saying that he had never seen his former team cheat.

Both teams represent large Asian American populations in their home states.

The 2010 U.S. Census data shows that 137,000 Filipinos live in the state of Washington, while some 12,000 Pinoys call Massachusetts home.

You can contact Steve Angeles at steve_angeles@abs-cbn.com and follow him on Twitter at @steveieangeles for more information.