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Marc Anthony’s Other Passion: Football PDF Print E-mail
Written by Bobby Ciarfadini   
Friday, 11 September 2009

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Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez show off their new Dolphins jerseys as part of new ownership in Miami.
 

Marc Anthony views the NFL as sweet music to his ears.

The legendary singer, now a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, will perform the national anthem when the Dolphins host the New York Jets on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" on Oct. 12. The game will be part of the NFL's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The 40-year-old singer said he’s had the "itch" to buy into a sports team. The four-time Grammy winner, who has developed a career in movies, sat down with ESPN and explained his new role with the Dolphins: "Football was always huge in my house. I just think that we [Latinos] are smaller so we have a better chance to make the baseball teams than the football teams. But football played a huge role in my life. Baseball and football are the American uniforms; I was born and raised in New York so I wasn't exempt from the influence.

"I'm a huge football and baseball fan. Back in the neighborhood there was always that rivalry, which got very interesting a couple of times. In the back of every boy's mind there's this dream of being a part of a major league team or an NFL team.                  

"What I embodied was the fact that there's a child who's going to see this regardless of race, color or creed – regardless. I think I epitomized the story of 'nothing's impossible.'  You know what? I can dream. The idea of Marc owning an NFL team can be true. I had always tried to land somewhere in terms of owning a team and I heard that there was an opportunity to invest [in Miami].

"We took a meeting [with new Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross] and it was off the bat. There are conversations about community outreach, and there's a huge Latino community in South Florida so I started realizing that I could actually influence the process."

Singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan, also bought a small stake in the club last month.

Anthony is married to singer-actress Jennifer Lopez. He has sold more than 10 million albums and is also an actor.

J-Lo has said publicly that she too is excited about the ownership deal. She was on hand at the press conference, announcing the team’s new ownership.

New Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, a New York real estate billionaire, completed his purchase of the Dolphins in January from Wayne Huizenga and quickly set out to rebrand the franchise. He has said he wants to fill up the stands with "a blend of entertainment and winning football."



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