Aug 24, 2009 3:51 pm US/Eastern
Williams' Sisters To Buy Into Miami Dolphins
MIAMI (CBS) ―
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Serena Williams and Venus Williams hold up their trophies after their women's final match on Day 12 at the 2009 Wimbledon tennis championships at the All England Club on July 4, 2009.
Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images
Marc Anthony, Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Jimmy Buffett will soon have a couple of new celebrities joining them with high stakes in the Miami Dolphins.
Tuesday afternoon, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross held a news conference to announce yet another celebrity addition to the team.
Venus and Serena Williams are reportedly become the latest celebrities to own a stake in the Dolphins, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke last week on condition of anonymity.
"There have been preliminary talks, and hopefully it'll work out," Serena Williams said Wednesday night after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Yaroslava Shvedova in Toronto. "That would be a great opportunity for both of us. You never know. We'll see what happens."
The Williamses live in Palm Beach Gardens which is about an hour's drive from Land Shark Stadium. Their new role will be significant in part because the NFL has no African-American majority team owner.
Musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony recently bought small shares of the team. Jimmy Buffett has yet to accept Ross' invitation to become a minority owner, but the two forged a partnership in May in which Dolphins' stadium was renamed Land Shark Stadium for the 2009 season.
Buffett also wrote a song for the Dolphins, and they've introduced a new version of their fight song by the rapper T-Pain.
Marc Anthony will perform the national anthem when the Dolphins host the New York Jets on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" on Oct. 12.
The Dolphins have said the involvement of the celebrities reflects the diversity of South Florida and shows that the franchise is connected with the community.
"There's always so many opportunities out there, and Venus and I are always trying to expand our brand and do the best that we can do, and if an opportunity presents itself, we would love to see where it can take us," Serena Williams said. "Who knows what's going to happen, but hopefully we'll be able to hopefully continue to expand our brand."
The Williams sisters have combined to win 18 Grand Slam titles, and they staged their latest sibling showdown last month at Wimbledon, where Serena beat Venus in the final.
Serena has won 11 major titles and Venus seven.
Ross, a New York real estate billionaire, completed his purchase of the Dolphins from Wayne Huizenga in January and began a partnership in May with Buffett. The agreement with the Estefans was announced in June, followed by the deal with Anthony last month.
Buffett and the Estefans are longtime Dolphins fans. The Williams sisters aren't known to closely follow the Dolphins or the NFL.
Ross has said the minority owners are strategic partners and aren't being brought aboard because of a financial need. He has pledged to improve the fan experience at games, and the celebrities will help -- although it's unlikely the sisters will be staging tennis exhibitions at halftime.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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