FIU Names Its Football Stadium After Pitbull

Published on August 8, 2024

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Florida International University and Mr. Worldwide announced a five-year $1.2 million partnership for the first college football stadium branded after a musician.

Scott Carr, Pitbull, Kenneth Jessell, and Lucy Benedetti pose during the FIU Pitbull Stadium announcement at Tamiami Hall on the Florida International University campus on August 6, 2024 in Miami, Florida.

Credit: Pictured left to right: Scott Carr, Pitbull, Kenneth Jessell, and Lucy Benedetti pose during the FIU Pitbull Stadium announcement at Tamiami Hall on August 6, 2024. Image Credit: Ivan Apfel / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment

Musician Pitbull, a Florida native, signed an agreement with Florida International University (FIU) that includes renaming the stadium after the artist. The deal is for five years, with the option to extend it another five years.
Pitbull will have the opportunity to host 10 events per year at Pitbull Stadium.
The football stadium is the first athletics stadium named after a musician, according to FIU.

Mr. Worldwide is featured on Florida International University’s (FIU) newest collab, but it isn’t a song — it’s a stadium.

Miami native and international music star Pitbull, also known as Armando Christian Perez, and FIU Athletics announced the deal Aug. 6.

Pitbull will pay $1.2 million per year for the next five years for marketing and promotional opportunities and naming rights to FIU’s football stadium.

The deal makes Pitbull Stadium the first musician-branded athletics stadium, according to FIU. When the five years is up, he’ll have the option to extend the contract to 10 years, according to The Associated Press.

This partnership with FIU is a true honor and a testament to what we can achieve when we work hard, the Grammy winner and entrepreneur said in the FIU press release.

Renaming the stadium isn’t just about a name change. 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?

Pitbull will become a frequent visitor to FIU and has the opportunity to host 10 events per year, including concerts and festivals, at Pitbull Stadium.

Pitbull has a record of investing in Florida and education. In 2012, he founded the tuition-free public charter school SLAM!, which focuses on sports leadership, arts, and management. It currently hosts almost 10,000 students in 14 schools in Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona.

Recently, he created the SELF 1st Foundation (Strengthening Education to Level the Field), which will help increase education access and resources to college and trade schools for minority and underserved populations.

Mr. 305 — nicknamed after Miami’s area code — isn’t the only artist to partner with a college. Rapper and musician Travis Scott partnered with 28 universities through the “Jack Goes Back to College” clothing collection. Scott toured Louisiana State University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southern California to launch the deal earlier this year.

According to the FIU press release, Pitbull is working on an FIU-inspired song, social media campaign, and merchandise collaborations — possibly featuring FIU’s panther mascot and slogan “Paws Up.”

This is a historic day for FIU Athletics to uniquely partner with a world-renowned artist and amazing person who truly values relationships and his community, Scott Carr, FIU’s director of athletics, said. Armando’s financial support is program-changing, but him providing a microphone to amplify FIU will be even more beneficial to growing our brand. I couldn’t be more excited about our partnership as this will take us to another level.

“We can now officially say: Paws Up, Dale!