Pitbull Buys Naming Rights to FIU's Football Stadium in $6M Contract Agreement
August 6, 2024
Florida International's football stadium will bear Pitbull's name as part of a naming rights deal.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the FIU board of trustees will vote on Tuesday to approve a five-year deal that will pay the school $1.2 million annually to rename the Panthers' stadium to Pitbull Stadium.
According to CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah and Richard Johnson, "EA Sports has been aware of this situation for a while and is working with FIU to reflect the Pitbull Stadium name change in a forthcoming update to the recently released 'College Football 25' video game."
Pitbull is from Miami and uses the nickname "Mr. 305" as an homage to the city's area code. He appears frequently at sporting events in the Florida area, including representing South Florida at the Daytona 500 in February.
Most recently, Pitbull was the halftime performer for the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix on July 20.
Florida International University's campus is located in Miami-Dade County in Westchester, Florida. The football team has played at its 20,000-seat stadium since 1995.
The stadium has been named Riccardo Silva Stadium since April 2017. It was named after businessman Riccardo Silva for his support given to the FIU athletic department. The 54-year-old Silva is also a co-owner of USL Championship club Miami FC.
FIU is going into its third season with head coach Mike MacIntyre. Since joining FBS in 2004, the program has made five bowl appearances and posted four winning seasons.
The Panthers will open the 2024 campaign on Aug. 31 against Indiana. Their first home game will be against Central Michigan on Sept. 7.