The Miami Dolphins have a new soundtrack, a sound that is as hot as September home games.Gloria Estefan, the multiplatinum recording artist who helped introduce the world to South Florida's Latin groove with the Miami Sound Machine, and her husband, Emilio, were officially named minority owners of the NFL franchise Thursday morning.
''This is thrilling, to be part of the hometown team,'' Gloria Estefan said. ``But don't worry, we won't be calling any plays.''
The Dolphins formally announced the deal at a ceremony that lived up to majority owner Stephen Ross' vision of combining glitz with gridiron. Before the event, the Dolphins piped Estefan's most popular songs, like Rhythm is Gonna Get You and Turn the Beat Around through Land Shark Stadium's concourse.
They took the stage to a video presentation that wove Estefan concert video with Dolphins highlights from their AFC East championship 2008 season.
''This is probably one of my happiest moments and one of the things I'm most proud about,'' Ross said. ``The team is a public trust. I wanted to bring ownership that would represent the community. There's no community that has the diversity that South Florida has.''
Ross likes show-business personalities and likes to make announcements with a show-business flair and timing. He began speaking with the Estefans three months ago about getting a small piece of the Dolphins.
Now, he has linked the Dolphins to two of South Florida's most famous entertainers -- Jimmy Buffett, whose music symbolizes the relaxed Florida Keys lifestyle, and Gloria Estefan, whose music could symbolize South Florida's ethnic metamorphosis over the past 25 years.
In early May, the team announced Land Shark Lager - part of Buffett's Margaritaville label - had been awarded the stadium's naming rights for the 2009 season. Buffett is also expected to buy a portion of the team.
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