How a Carolina Panthers legend is elevating a football team he now owns
Charlotte remembers Ryan Kalil as the Carolina Panthers center — the man who snapped the ball to Cam Newton. Today, the retired NFL All-Pro player has traded his helmet and pads for the role of team owner.
Why it matters: American football is huge stateside, but passion for the game is growing in other countries, too.
Catch up quick: Earlier this year, Kalil and retired NBA All-Star Blake Griffin acquired Osos Monterrey, a professional Mexican football team playing in Liga de Fútbol Americano.
Context: Mexico's passion for football (soccer) isn't a secret, but its love affair with football, the type with helmets and pads, isn't as widely known.
Attendance ranges from 6,000-12,000 per game and it's a short season. Tickets range from $25-$50, Kalil says.
They rebranded the team and had roughly three months to figure out the business side, Kalil says.
Yes, but: The highest level of the sport in Mexico isn't a full-time job, Kalil tells Axios. Players are there because they love the game, but they still have day jobs.
The goal is to elevate their team and the league to a point where it can be a full-time gig — including everything from league exposure to fields and equipment.
The latest: That starts with outfitting players with better helmets. The team is working with LIGHT Helmets, which as the name implies, is a lighter helmet intended to keep players safe without impeding performance.
"We need better exposure for [players], more resources for equipment, and honestly, that's part of our partnership with LIGHT Helmets," Kalil says. "It's that first step."
Kalil says this is a sign for the players and the league as a whole that resources are coming.
What we're watching: Kalil and Griffin are working on a documentary (akin to "Welcome to Wrexham") on Osos. Details including the timeline for its release and where you'll be able to stream it are TBD. It's expected to be released in either late 2025 or early 2026.
The documentary will focus on Osos, but it will also look at the state of the league.
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Former NBA reporter and current St. Bonaventure men's basketball general manager Adrian Wojnarowski, center left, watches as Southern California guard JuJu Watkins walks past during the second half of an NCAA women's basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, file) ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. 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