Florida International University (FIU) athletics officials announced an unprecedented partnership on August 6 with international superstar and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull.
A revolutionary 10-year, $12 million agreement will see FIU Stadium rebranded as South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium, making it the world’s first-ever athletics stadium with an artist possessing the naming rights.
Special ticket pre-sales for FIU football season ticket and suite holders, as well as select discounted tickets for FIU students, will be made available, giving supporters and attendees of FIU priority access to Pitbull events.
This partnership with FIU is a true honor and a testament to what we can achieve when we work hard. 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? - Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull)
Thanks to the efforts of Van Wagner College, FIU Athletics' third-party multimedia rights partner since 2016, additional partners were attracted to further enhance the partnership, with South Dade Kia emerging as the presenting sponsor for the field: South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium.
We have been proud supporters of FIU Athletics because we recognize the significant role that education and sports play in connecting with young people and students. When we found out about FIU Athletics and Pitbull’s outstanding initiative, we immediately wanted to contribute and participate. We are delighted to announce our collaboration, demonstrating our collective commitment to innovation in Miami. Together we will enhance education and athletics, creating a brighter future for our students. - Lucy Benedetti, Executive Vice President/Co-Owner of South Dade Kia Miami & Homestead
Pitbull will also contribute to The Blueprint Collective to aid in FIU’s Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) initiatives, supporting current and future Panther student-athletes.
We invite our Panther community to join us in matching Pitbull's generous contributions by donating to the Dale Drive, a groundbreaking fundraising initiative featuring the one and only Mr. 305. Help empower our student-athletes on and off the field by donating to the Dale Drive today!
The partnership marks Pitbull’s participation in FIU football’s Vice Night, featuring Miami-style colors and merchandise, with the Panthers donning their nationally acclaimed Vice uniform. This year’s game will be played on October 22 at 7:30 p.m. against Sam Houston State. The game will feature a new Vice uniform, and will be broadcasted nationally on ESPNU.
Pitbull will participate in several marketing and promotional opportunities for FIU including co-branded apparel & merchandise (kink can be found below), an FIU-inspired song by Pitbull, appearances by Pitbull at FIU events as well as social media publication.
For FIU Athletics to compete for conference and NCAA Championships, it is vital to provide our over 400 student-athletes with the very best services, resources, and facilities to assist in their training, practice, recovery, and academic work.
The Panther Club is the primary fundraising arm of FIU Athletics, providing our alumni, fans, and our community the opportunity to make a transformational impact through annual philanthropic giving. For our student-athletes to excel in competition, in the classroom, and in the community, we need the support of the Panther Family.
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. 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! - FIU Director of Athletics Scott Carr