It doesn’t get any more 305 than this! Florida International’s football stadium will now bear Pitbull’s name as part of a naming rights deal, the university announced today.
The rapper — a.k.a. Mr. 305 — signed a five-year deal that will give the school $1.2 million per year ($6 million total) to have the Panthers’ stadium changed to Pitbull Stadium. This would make FIU the first to have a college athletics building named after a musician.
“Renaming the stadium isn’t just about a name change,” Pitbull said in a 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?”
According to FIU board documents obtained by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Pitbull will create an anthem for FIU, post about the school on his social media 12 times a year and appear at one fundraising event per year. Through the entirety of the deal, he will also get use of the stadium 10 days per year.
The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 seats and opened in 1995. It was known as Ricardo Silva Stadium from 2017 to 2022, before simply being named FIU Stadium while the Panthers were on the lookout for a new sponsor. That’s where Pitbull, a Miami native who once went to Miami Coral Park High School, comes in.
The FIU Panthers will play their first game in Pitbull Stadium on September 7, when they host Central Michigan for their home game. Needless to say… ¡Dale!