Dolphins Add Extra Salsa To South Florida; Singer Marc Anthony Becomes Minority Owner

What do salsa music, Jennifer Lopez and football have in common?

View Photos [81]
View Profile

Now, Marc Anthony.

Hailed as the highest-selling salsa artist of all time, Anthony recently purchased a minority stake in the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

He may be married to what many consider one of the most beautiful women on the planet and performed in front of thousands, but the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter claims to have cold feet.

``I could quite possibly be staring at the first day of the rest of my life,'' Anthony said in a news conference in New York. ``That's quite exciting at this stage of the game. I'm a little nervous. I'd rather sing. That's much easier to me…..It's a storied franchise, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm going to try to make it to my seat because my knees are a little weak.''

Long-time Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga sold a majority of the team to New York real estate billionaire Stephen Ross for $1 billion at the end of last season.

Ross, in turn, partnered with the entertainment industry. Jimmy Buffett, whose Land Shark beer has become the namesake of Dolphins Stadium, bought a portion of the team. Legendary musician and Miami native Gloria Estefan and husband Emilio also came on as minority owners.

Ross claims the idea of adding the Estefans and Anthony as partners was appealing to him because they are representative of the large Latino community in South Florida.

Football is not new to Anthony. His godfather is former Giants coach Jim Fassel. He got the idea to purchase a stake of the Dolphins when he learned Ross was open to partnership.

The 40-year old had already made plans to sing the national anthem at the Jets-Dolphins Monday night game in Miami Oct. 12. The game is the centerpiece of the NFL's celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.

The Dolphins went from a dismal 1-15 record in 2007 to 11-5 and the 2008 AFC East Championship. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs, but still have the core group of players intact and looking to make another run at the playoffs.