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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mexican national soccer team changes hotels in Los Angeles because of safety concerns
Mexico's José Raúl Rangel (12) dives to stop the ball during an international friendly soccer match against Switzerland, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate) MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican national soccer team will change hotels in Los Angeles ahead of their Gold Cup match on Saturday because of safety concerns amid the protests against immigration raids in the city, a team spokesman said Tuesday. Mexico will play its opening match in the regional tournament against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Advertisement The team had a hotel reserved in downtown Los Angeles but governing body CONCACAF has allowed for a change to an undetermined hotel, Mexican team spokesman Fernando Schwartz told The Associated Press. CONCACAF, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has not made an official announcement. The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. On Sunday, crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to be sent to Los Angeles. Advertisement Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was reluctant to talk about the protests at a news conference on Monday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the team is scheduled to play in a friendly match against Turkey on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to talk about Los Angeles, I told you no, we are talking about sports here.' Aguirre said. 'I can't express myself right now. We have a match against Turkey, and I don't have any information. I know what we see on television. We're thousands of miles away, and I can't express myself.' After the match against the Dominican Republic, Mexico will fly to Arlington, Texas, to play Suriname and then close out the first round of the tournament against Costa Rica in Las Vegas. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Mexican national soccer team changes hotels in Los Angeles because of safety concerns
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican national soccer team will change hotels in Los Angeles ahead of their Gold Cup match on Saturday because of safety concerns amid the protests against immigration raids in the city, a team spokesman said Tuesday. Mexico will play its opening match in the regional tournament against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The team had a hotel reserved in downtown Los Angeles but governing body CONCACAF has allowed for a change to an undetermined hotel, Mexican team spokesman Fernando Schwartz told The Associated Press. CONCACAF, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has not made an official announcement. The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. On Sunday, crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to be sent to Los Angeles. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was reluctant to talk about the protests at a news conference on Monday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the team is scheduled to play in a friendly match against Turkey on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to talk about Los Angeles, I told you no, we are talking about sports here.' Aguirre said. 'I can't express myself right now. We have a match against Turkey, and I don't have any information. I know what we see on television. We're thousands of miles away, and I can't express myself.' After the match against the Dominican Republic, Mexico will fly to Arlington, Texas, to play Suriname and then close out the first round of the tournament against Costa Rica in Las Vegas. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Fight of the century' - Alvarez-Crawford date confirmed
Turki Alalshikh (centre) announced last month that a super-fight had been agreed between Terence Crawford (left) and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (right) [Getty Images] Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's super-fight against Terence Crawford will take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, 13 September. Mexican pound-for-pound great Alvarez will meet undefeated American Crawford for the undisputed super-middleweight title. Advertisement The blockbuster will be streamed globally on Netflix and has been billed the "fight of the century" by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority. It will be the first fight to be promoted by Alalshikh in collaboration with UFC president Dana White. "Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley," said White. "Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I'm going to get to promote is Canelo versus Crawford? It's literally a once-in-a-lifetime fight." Alvarez holds all four recognised world titles in the super-middleweight division after the 34-year-old beat William Scull last month. Advertisement That resulted in him regaining the IBF belt and the undisputed super-middleweight title, and after the fight Crawford was confirmed as his next opponent, with the pair posing for a face-off in the ring. "I'm ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world," the Mexican said in a statement on Tuesday. Alvarez has 63 wins from 67 professional fights, with two draws and two defeats. Crawford is a four-division and two-weight undisputed champion, and will be moving up from light-middleweight. The 37-year-old possesses a flawless record, having won all 41 of his pro fights. Advertisement "My perfect record speaks for itself," said Crawford. "I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top." The fight - expected to take place at Allegiant Stadium - will be preceded by a three-city media tour, visiting Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (20 June), before heading to the United States as the fighters appear in New York (22 June) and Las Vegas (27 June). More boxing from the BBC
