For the next five years, whenever Florida International University’s football players step into their stadium, they’ll be reminded of Mr. 305 himself: Pitbull. The rapper has locked into a deal with the Miami-based academic institution that grants him naming rights to its football stadium for the price of $1.2 million per year, as well as some social obligations. Beginning this fall, the location will officially be renamed Pitbull Stadium.
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“What we’re doing here is groundbreaking. We’re making history. This is history in the making,” Pitbull shared, per ESPN . “You’re going to see that every other university is going to want to do the same thing. But the difference is, we don’t do this for propaganda, we do it from the heart. We do it because it’s meaningful. We do it because I’m from the crib. I’m 305. I’m from the bottom. This is my backyard.”
The Florida International University board of trustees approved the five-year deal on Tuesday, with an option to extend the name for another five years. Pitbull’s yearly obligations as the stadium’s namesake include a minimum of 12 social media posts about the university, as well as at least one appearance at a fundraising event for an athletic team at the school. He’ll also have to get in the studio to cut a new Florida International University anthem.
“For me, what it boils down to is, Miami is always known for being underdogs, no matter what we do and what level we take it to,” Pitbull added. “Being underdogs is what I always felt about FIU — fighting, clawing their way to just be seen, to be recognized whether it be from education, business, through sports.” The idea, he explained, emerged from that spirit of being underestimated. “It came about just like a Miami-Dade County, 305 idea would come about — nobody would believe in it,” he said. “All we had to do was, just like we say in Miami, take it to the house.”
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The football stadium has been open since 1995 but began hosting FIU games in 2002. It boasts a capacity of 20,000 attendees. The Panthers’ first game in Pitbull Stadium will be on Sept. 7, when they face Central Michigan University.
“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,” athletic director Scott Carr shared about the musician born Armando Christian Perez. “Armando’s financial support is program-changing, but him providing a microphone to amplify FIU will be even more beneficial to growing our brand.”
It’s proving to be beneficial to Pitbull’s brands as well — the deal grants him access to the stadium for 10 days per year and marks his alcohol company Voli 305 Vodka as the stadium’s preferred brand. His more than $5 million investment might actually be money well spent.
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