Kalil and Griffin out to transform Mexico's American football league

Dec 9 : Former NFL centre Ryan Kalil and ex-NBA forward Blake Griffin are part of a $100 million punt to turn Mexico's Liga de Futbol Americano into a sporting powerhouse in a country where 40 million people already live and breathe American football.

The investment, led by private equity firm Global Sports Capital Partners, over seven years represents the first U.S. private equity investment in a Mexican sports league. For GSCP founder Michael MacDougall, the numbers add up.

"There are 40 million American football fans in Mexico," MacDougall told Reuters. "For us, it's like: what a great place to build a league."

Kalil, Griffin and a group of investors, including active NFL players Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, already own the Monterrey Osos franchise. Their first season ended with a trip to the championship finals, with sold-out crowds. 

"They went from an empty stadium to a full stadium. They didn't have enough merchandise," MacDougall added. "It just makes me think: what if we had a merchandise store? What if we did this right?"

PROFESSIONAL POLISH

Established in 2016 with just four teams, the LFA was a direct response to the popular college football scene in Mexico, which has an 80-year history. 

Kalil believes that the new investment offers a unique opportunity to take the sport to a professional level.

"There's plenty of talent in Mexico," explained Kalil, whose family has roots in the country. "But if players had better coaching, training, nutrition, and health and safety standards, they could easily become NFL-calibre athletes. That's a huge part of the opportunity here."

"I think sport has this rare ability to transcend race, nationality, and background. It brings all sorts of people together in a way that