MIAMI, Fla. — The Florida International University Athletics Department made history Tuesday with the announcement of a partnership with recording artist Armando Christian Perez, better known as Pitbull.
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The 10-year agreement with the Miami native will see FIU’s football stadium rebranded as “Pitbull Stadium,” the first-ever athletics venue with an artist possessing its naming rights.
The first-of-its-kind partnership includes marketing and promotional opportunities between Pitbull and the university, the only public Division-I institution in Miami.
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“This partnership with FIU is a true honor and a testament to what we can achieve when we work hard,” Perez said. “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.”
The deal also marks Pitbull’s participation in FUI football’s Miami-themed “Vice Night,” featuring Miami-style colors and merchandise.
This year’s Vice game will be against Sam Houston State on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Through the partnership, Pitbull will also have the opportunity to host several events per year at the stadium on FIU’s campus, including concerts and festivals. When he steps on the stage at Pitbull Stadium, the Grammy-winning artist will be the first entertainer in history to perform in an athletics facility bearing his name.
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Pitbull will also contribute to The Blueprint Collective, backing FIU’s Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) initiatives in support of current and future FIU student-athletes.
FIU Athletics Director Scott Carr described the partnership as “program-changing” and an opportunity to provide the program with worldwide exposure.
“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,” Carr said. “I couldn’t be more excited about our partnership as this will take us to another level.”
Pitbull started his music career in the South Florida rap scene in 2004 and has since grown into one of the most successful recording artists in the world.
“Pitbull’s career trajectory mirrors FIU’s ascent as one of the nation’s top public research universities,” FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell said. “Like FIU, he started out very 305 and became worldwide.”
Pitbull is also known as a strong advocate for education, having founded the first SLAM! (Sports Leadership, Arts, and Management) tuition-free public charter school in Miami in 2012,
For more information about the partnership, click here.
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