Latino Pop Megastar Prince Royce Joins Fan Controlled Football League

Award-winning Latino artist Prince Royce is the third official team owner in the FCFL.

Alberto Rodriguez/Telemundo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Get ready, Prince Royce fans. The contemporary Bachata king is ready to take on football.

The Fan Controlled Football League (FCFL), the first ever pro sports league where fans call shots—from logo design to calling plays in real-time—has officially announced the award-winning Latino artist as its third official team owner and “fan captain” for his upcoming franchise.

Royce will be joining Super Bowl champs and ex-teammates Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, who were previously named as FCFL team owners and the league also announced they will be naming more for the other five teams in the next few weeks.   

“I’m a football fan and have always dreamt of owning a sports team,” said Royce, who was born and raised in the Bronx by Dominican parents. “The fact that the FCFL combines sports with tech and gaming makes it the perfect league for me. I love everything about it, and it’s awesome that fans can really participate and be part of the game in a way they have never experienced before. I’m a big gamer and play video games, Madden and love fantasy football.”

If you’re not familiar with the FCFL, then buckle up, because it’s growing in popularity and it hopes to be the future of sports, or at least, take a large piece of the pie, given that it combines the elements of football, gaming and fantasy. After creating the overall identity of a respective team (name, logo, coaching hire and literally drafting the players via a fan-run draft) eight franchises will kick-off the league’s inaugural season this June in a single location. The seven-on-seven games last for an hour in a production studio with drones, sensors and wearables for a thousand fans. It will be streamed on Twitch, a live streaming video platform owned by Amazon with a growing audience of more than 140 million monthly viewers. Fans will be able to call the plays, both live in the studio using the FCFL app and on Twitch. Seconds later, the quarterback hears the play that gets the most votes and just like that, you call the shots.

Fan base is determined not by hometown allegiance but by owner. This is where Prince Royce comes in and offers a distinctive voice. By becoming the first owner who is not a professional athlete, the singer/songwriter (with a fan base of more than 55 million followers on social media and a tremendous influence on Latin/Hispanic culture) represents another community interested in the league.

“I want a passionate, dedicated, determined franchise,” said Royce, speaking to Sports Illustrated. “We will be all about consistent work, dedication and commitment to get to the top. We will live, eat, and breathe hard work.”

Aside from the musical success, performing with stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Becky G, Maluma and Shakira, he had a street named after him in New York City and raises awareness for public education and kidney disease.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared August 8, 2018 Prince Royce Day as a way to recognize his contributions to his community.

FCFL co-founder and CEO Sohrob Farudi, expressed his excitement about Prince Royce’s influence in the league.

“Prince Royce is exactly the type of owner we are looking for in the FCFL,” Farudi said. “He is not only a mega star with a hugely engaged digital fan base, he’s also a passionate football fan and gamer. I’m excited to see how he and his fans shape his franchise over the coming months.”

As the league gets closer to the inaugural season, it will be intriguing to see the rest of the owners who come in, but for now, it’s good to see la República Dominicana and the Bronx being represented in this new venture.

As for what’s coming around the corner and Super Bowl LIII? Royce, like a true New Yorker, can’t pull for New England—he’s going with the Rams.