When you look at the roster of minority partners of sports teams, you mostly see names you don’t know. Regular rich people who weren’t rich enough to buy most of the team or who didn’t care for the publicity that comes along with being the managing partner.
But when you look at the Miami Dolphins, you see this:
- Anthony, Marc.
- Estefan, Gloria, Emilio.
- Fergie.
- Lopez, Jennifer.
- Williams, Venus, Serena.
I’ve tried to figure out what exactly Ross was doing, but other than saying he was proving that team ownership isn’t a white man’s club, he hasn’t been too overt about his goals.
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt to the guy who said he wouldn’t call his $1.1 billion investment in the Dolphins a “shrewd” one.
So what’s the point? Tell us.
Is there an album on the way? Is every home game going to start with a concert? Is the idea to bring fans of these stars who might not attend a football game to the stadium? Does having an orange carpet entrance with these stars coming to the game make more people want to go? Or is it just something to do for the people who are already there?
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It’s worth mentioning that Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan have been part of the game experience, as has Jimmy Buffett whose Landshark Lager has the naming rights to the stadium. So Ross is clearly putting them to work, but do they generate anything more than buzz?
I’m not criticizing Ross, I’m just wondering what he is trying to do and if whatever he is trying to do will be successful. If something like this works, expect other teams to try to recruit stars to buy small pieces of their team.
My take? As far as packing the stadium goes, the success of Chad Henne means more than all the star owners combined.
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