Pitbull Purchases Naming Rights For FIU Football Stadium, Which Will Now Be Called Pitbull Stadium

Pitbull Stadium: As of today, that’s a real place you can visit and take in some collegiate athletics. As ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports, Mr. Worldwide has purchased the naming rights for the football stadium at Florida International University in his hometown of Miami.

According to FIU board documents, Pitbull will pay the school $1.2 million per year for the next five years to rename the stadium after himself. Previously, the home of the FIU Panthers was known as Riccardo Silva Stadium, named for Silva, the businessman and investor known for owning the accomplished Italian soccer club AC Milan and minor league US soccer club Miami FC (not to be confused with Inter Miami, Lionel Messi’s MLS team). FIU is not renewing Silva’s naming rights for some reason.

FIU’s Board of Trustees are expected to officially finalize the naming today, but it seems like a done deal given that the university is hosting a press conference with Pitbull as I type. Pitbull is the first musical artist to have a college stadium bear his name; Nas, for instance, does not have a stadium named after him. FIU will open the newly named Pitbull Stadium against Central Michigan on September 7. Dale!