One of the many attractive facets of the developing Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) league is the way it brings together big NFL stars, famous fishermen and famous entertainers. And even better, as SFC’s third annual The Catch Weekend just took place at Fort. Lauderdale’s Pier Sixty-Six Superyacht Village aired on CBS Sports, and more and more people are tuning in to see SFC’s special entertainment and competition logo, on and off the water.
Multi-platinum French DJ and manufacturer Klingande kicked off the weekend at The Catch level with his signature spacey sound. Dance music duo Loud Luxury, known for their hit “Body,” which went multi-platinum in nine countries with more than 1. 5 billion streams, and seven hip-hop legends have also performed, Grammy winner Big Boi, who has been acclaimed as a solo artist and member of the legendary duo OutKast.
And when it came time to fish, the festival between seven NFL teams of 14 players was fierce. Team Rising Son’s/Team Verizon scored the first numbers of the tournament with a mahi-mahi caught between New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara. Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert contributed to Rising Son’s overall point as he struggled to capture and free his first sailboat. “Once you bring in that fish, it’s like getting a landing — the same great feeling,” Mostert said.
Then, controlled chaos hit the Rising Son/Team Verizon cockpit as Kamara, Mostert and SFC fisherman Toby Berthelot were tripled on a sailboat, putting Rising Son/Team Verizon in the lead. “Dragging Alvin (Kamara) and Raheem (Mostert) through a triple sailboat and then landing in an unbelievable way,” said Jaselyn Berthelot of Rising Son/Team Verizon.
And at the end of the day, Rising Son’s/Team Verizon won the name with a total of 500 points. The $100,000 in proceeds was donated to the Coast Guard Foundation, courtesy of Harvey Gulf.
“This is an impressive feature of the Rising Son’s/Team Verizon team, and the triple connection made it one of the most memorable moments in the history of The Catch,” said Mark Neifeld, executive director and commissioner of SFC. “Bringing together the most productive anglers in global SFC with NFL superstars has led to one of the most impressive deep-sea fishing tournaments the sport has ever seen. “
But “The Catch” was just the beginning. The full 10-event season of the SFC continues at the Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open in Grand Isle, Louisiana, May 2-4.