Florida International University (FIU) in Miami announced this Tuesday an agreement with Cuban-American singer and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, to rename its football stadium as Pitbull Stadium.
The name change of the FIU Stadium will last for ten years and marks the first time that a stadium bears the name of an artist.
This agreement will not only "elevate the profile of FIU Athletics internationally" and associate Pitbull with the Panthers team, but it is also expected to attract new followers and sponsors thanks to the "global influence" of the 43-year-old singer, according to the academic institution in a statement.
"This partnership with FIU is a true honor and a testament to what we can achieve when we work hard. With determination and a clear vision, anything is possible. We are making history together, and we are just getting started. Let's go," said Pitbull himself.
The artist emphasized that the name change of the stadium is not just that, but "it is about inspiring the community, creating opportunities, and showing the world that with determination and a clear vision, anything is possible."
"We are making history together and we are just getting started. Why dream when you can live it?" emphasized the rap star and songwriter of hits like I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) or Give Me Everything.
Pitbull has 12 studio albums and won a Grammy for Best Latin, Urban, or Alternative Rock Album in 2016.
"Pitbull's professional trajectory reflects the rise of FIU as one of the leading public research universities in the country," said FIU's president, Kenneth A. Jessell, in the statement.
For Scott Carr, director of Athletics at Florida International University, "this is a historic day for FIU Athletics to uniquely partner with a world-renowned artist and an incredible person who values relationships and their community."
Carr indicated that "Armando's financial support is changing the program," and that his image will amplify FIU and "will be even more beneficial for growing our brand."
Pitbull has maintained a close relationship with the educational field for over a decade. In 2012, he founded the first free public charter school SLAM! (an acronym in English for Sports Leadership, Arts and Management) in Miami.
Currently, SLAM! serves nearly 10,000 students in 14 schools located in the states of Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona.
In 2022, SLAM! was the first of 38 school systems in the world recognized as a Distinction System for excellence in education by Cognia, a global school accreditation organization.
In addition to SLAM!, its newly formed SELF 1st Foundation will serve as an extension of those efforts to "close the opportunity gap and foster a real and tangible impact in underserved communities," the statement noted.
SELF 1st aims to improve access to and educational resources for minority and underserved populations at all levels of education, including university and vocational schools.
Pitbull will start a tour on August 21 in 26 cities across the United States, where he will review the biggest hits of his career as well as offer some "surprises."
The tour, called Party After Dark Tour, will begin in Bristow, Virginia, and will run until October 5, when Mr. Worldwide will conclude his journey in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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