Pitbull Buys Naming Rights to Florida International Football Stadium for Five Years

Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Entertainer and recording artist Pitbull performs during the half time show for the WNBA All Star Game between Team WNBA and USA Women's National Team at Footprint Center.
Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Entertainer and recording artist Pitbull performs during the half time show for the WNBA All Star Game between Team WNBA and USA Women's National Team at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

To beef up its finances for a new era of college athletics, Florida International is turning to Mr. Worldwide.

Musician Pitbull has purchased the naming rights to the Panthers' football stadium, according to school documents reviewed and reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel Tuesday morning.

Pitbull, 43, will become the first musician to lend his name to a college football stadium. The Grammy-winning artist was born in Miami and attended high school there; he has long incorporated the city's aesthetics into his music and brand.

Per Thamel, Pitbull "will create an anthem for FIU, post about the school on social media 12 times a year and appear at one athletics fundraising event per year throughout the term of the agreement."

The deal is believed to be worth $6 million over five years—$1.2 million per year.

Florida International opens its season on Aug. 31 at Indiana, and opens its home schedule a week later against Central Michigan.


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Patrick Andres

PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .