Hollywood celebrities and former US football players plan to bring the Big American game to India.
The Elite Football League of India is teaming with actor Mark Wahlberg and former quarterback Kurt Warner to bring about a launch in November with 12 teams.
League stakeholders include former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, Green Bay Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar and Hall of Fame receiver Micheal Irvin.
Cricket is currently the biggest sport in India and after it’s World Cup win, it brought in more than a quarter of the country’s total advertising revenue of $2.41 billion last year.
Billionaires and Bollywood royalty have all brought stakes in the cricket teams, which then bid at auction for the hired players for a six-week season.
“There is relatively no competition on air in the sporting landscape of Asian TV,” EFLI founder and chief executive Sunday Zellar told The Associated Press.
“In addition, given the lack of alternatives, we are finding the biggest, strongest and most agile athletes from all over India and Sri Lanka to participate in this new game of chess played by the ultimate gladiator.”
The American backers are trying to build a team from scratch, a move that is the striking opposite of the IPL.
Promising stars include 19-year-old Santu Sardar, a soccer player who struggled in the second division of the local Kolkata league, before earning 15,000 rupees.
The new pay cheque is a boost for his family, who have been struggling to survive financially on roughly the same amount earned by Sardar’s taxi driving father.
“My life has changed after I signed up for this league as it promises me a better life and financial security,” Sardar told AP.
“I’ll now give my everything to ensure my team Kolkata does very well in the competition.”
