Photo charles trainor - miamiherald.com



By Barry Jackson

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wants his stadium to have little piece of Margaritaville, the tropical paradise Jimmy Buffett sang about.

So much so, in fact, that Ross is poised to re-name his stadium after Buffett's beer.

Get ready to attend football and baseball games at Land Shark Stadium, which would be Dolphin Stadium's sixth name since it opened as Joe Robbie Stadium in 1987.

Dolphins Stadium president Bruce Schulze said Friday the facility likely will enter a naming rights deal with Land Shark Lager, but declined to comment further. A news conference with Ross and Buffett has been scheduled for May 8. One of the stadium's other tenants was informed by stadium executives that the facility is expected to be renamed Land Shark Stadium.

Ross wants to open a Margaritaville themed-area inside Dolphin Stadium, and the naming rights deal would fit within that plan. Ross reportedly has approached Buffett about becoming a minority owner in the team.

Ross had not reached a deal with any potential minority partners as of earlier in the week, according to an official close to the owner. But this deal could give Buffett incentive to invest.

A person close to the talks said the sides had discussed a short-term naming rights deal, perhaps only though the end of Dolphins season. Dolphin Stadium hosts the Super Bowl next February.

Buffett and Anheuser-Busch launched a cooperative project in 2005 to produce Buffett's own beer under the Margaritaville Brewing Label. That's one of several Margaritaville enterprises Buffett has created, including a restaurant chain and record company.

Dolphin Stadium hasn't had a corporate name since it was called Pro Player Stadium from 1996 through 2005.

Previous Dolphin Stadium owner Wayne Huizenga had spent years searching for a corporate naming partner to replace Pro Player, a sports apparel division of Fruit of the Loom.

Fruit of the Loom filed for bankruptcy in 1999 – four years into a 10-year, $20 million naming rights deal – and the facility was renamed Dolphins Stadium in 2005. Dolphins Stadium was renamed Dolphin Stadium a year later.

Huizenga spoke seriously over the years with DHL, BankAtlantic and Celebrity Cruises but never found a corporate partner that either appealed to him, or was willing to spend several million dollars annually.

The University of Miami – which plays its games at Dolphin Stadium – initially had concerns about the stadium being named after a beer, according to an official close to the situation. But neither UM nor the Marlins have any control over the issue. UM declined to comment Friday.

The stadium opened in 1987 as Joe Robbie Stadium, named after the original Dolphins owner who financed the stadium privately.

Huizenga sold majority interest in the stadium and team to Ross in January, and Ross has being discussing ways to improve the game day experience for fans. Among the ideas under discussion is adding original South Florida-themed artist renderings in the stadium, perhaps on stadium gates.

Though the stadium will be renamed after a beer, alcohol sales at Dolphin Stadium are cut off after the third quarter at Dolphins games, according to a stadium representative. Sales are cut off after halftime of UM games, and no beer is sold in the family or student sections.

Source:  miamiherald.com

You had me excited there for a minute. I thought a corporate sponsor stepped up for the on-campus stadium. Wishful thinking.

GO OWLS!!!

Florida_Owl said

Photo charles trainor - miamiherald.com
Get ready to attend football and baseball games at Land Shark Stadium, which would be Dolphin Stadium's sixth name since it opened as Joe Robbie Stadium in 1987.

Joe Robbie—>Pro Player—->Dolphins Stadium——–>Landshark Stadium

I'm not great at math lol but to me that's 4 names where did they come up with 6? What'd I miss?

I think you nailed it thus far

Didn't they change the name from Dolphins Stadium to Dolphin Stadium? If so, that would make 5.

Also, when it changed to Pro Player, it was Pro Player Park then they chaged it to Pro Player Stadium. I don't care what they call it, I'll always call it Joe Robbie

I was hoping we found a sponsor...THANKS FOR NOTHING BUFFET!

SeminOWL2006 said

I was hoping we found a sponsor…THANKS FOR NOTHING BUFFET!

Talk about a waste of money.

Some things in the hopper at present for our "Home"…

Terry Mohajir actually asked for Prayer in passing for that last night at the baseball game…i was caught off guard by his saying that initially as that's not something you hear everyday on the street, but it's a great idea…

So, here is the official "request" on his behalf…

Knee it up!

egh, they would have been better off naming it just "Margaritaville" (and drop the stadium word)