Pitbull Buys Naming Rights to FIU’s Football Stadium

Mr. 305 has done it again.

Recording artist Pitbull has acquired the naming rights to FIU’s football stadium in Miami for the next five years. The 20,000-seat home of the Panthers will now be known as Pitbull Stadium.

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The Miami native, whose real name is Armando Christian Pérez, will pay the school $1.2 million per year, totaling $6 million at the end of the deal. He also has the option to renew the deal for an additional five years.

“Renaming the stadium isn’t just about a name change,” Pitbull said in the school’s news release. “It’s about inspiring the community, creating opportunities and showing the world that with determination and a clear vision, anything is possible. We’re making history together, and we’re just getting started. Why dream when you can live it?”

As part of the naming rights agreement, as first reported by ESPN, Pitbull will create an anthem for the school, make 12 social media posts per year and appear at one athletics funding event per year. In return, the rapper will get to use the stadium 10 times a year throughout the length of the deal, and his vodka company, Voli 305 Vodka, will be the preferred brand for the stadium. He will also have two reserved suites for all home games.

This isn’t Pitbull’s first foray into the world of college sports this year. He performed for the University of Texas as part of the Longhorns’ $2.3 million on-campus celebration upon entering the SEC. Pitbull and another artist were paid $610,000 in talent fees.

Pitbull is also a co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, the auto racing outfit that features Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as a new MotoGP team.

FIU spent $45.3 million on athletics in fiscal year 2023, making it the 78th largest public athletic department in FBS and the 26th largest in the Group of Five, according to Sportico’s college athletic database. The Panthers generated just $13.1 million in revenue.

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