Marc Anthony buys small share of NFL team

Singer and actor Marc Anthony appeared at a New York press conference today announcing that he is now a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins. Anthony appeared with his wife, Jennifer Lopez, to whom he presented an early 40th birthday custom Dolphins number 34 jersey to match his own custom number 16 home jersey.

The Dolphins franchise has seen some other new faces recently, including the new owner, Stephen Ross, who spent a reported $1 billion this past January to become a 95-percent shareholder, according to Sports Illustrated.

The New York real estate entrepreneur has been busy reaching out to the South-Florida community since January in an attempt to rebrand the resurging AFC East football team. Ross's new partner isn't the first celebrity to buy into the team's ownership, joining Gloria and Emilio Estefan, who bought a small share of the franchise last month, according to GoSanAngelo.com. Ross was less concerned with money and more with the people he would be working with as his new partners. He believes Anthony and the Estefans' Hispanic heritage will better represent the community's large Hispanic population.

Anthony approached Ross about a role in the team after learning he was open to collaboration. Before this deal was struck, Anthony had been looking to invest in a sports team for some years, reported the Miami Herald. The Grammy award-winning singer is a sports fan and after meeting with Ross, cited his belief that they shared a similar vision for the team as the reason he bought in.

Anthony and his wife currently live in New York, but are house hunting in Miami. Anthony will sing the National Anthem when the Dolphins host the New York Jets on the Oct. 20 edition of ESPN's Monday Night Football, which will be a corner-stone event for the NFL's celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.