Dolphins Hoping To Add Tropical Feel To Land Shark Stadium

Buffett (r) Joins Ross At Unveiling Of Land Shark Deal

Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross hopes the team's naming-rights deal with Land Shark larger "will give his facility more of a tropical, South Florida feel on game days," according to Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD. Land Shark is a joint project of A-B and musician Jimmy Buffett, and Ross said that there "will be a Margaritaville-themed area at the stadium, including places to tailgate, but offered few details." Stadium officials said that plans are "still being formulated, but if there is a restaurant or dining area, it would be open only on game days." Meanwhile, the Univ. of Miami (UM), whose football team plays at the stadium along with the Marlins, is "believed to have had some concern about naming the stadium after a beer, but neither UM nor the [Marlins] had any control over the matter." The Dolphins "will continue their search for a more permanent corporate name for 2010 and beyond" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/9).

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: The Dolphins and Buffett Friday held a concert to introduce the stadium's new name, and in Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay noted the show was a "taste of the new fan experience [Ross] has been talking about infusing into Dolphins games next season." Ross said that a new version of Buffett's song "Fins," will be heard "often at games (but will not replace the team's fight song)." Ross "would not discuss the financial details of the one-season naming rights deal for the stadium, saying only that the name will not be in place for next year's Pro Bowl and Super Bowl." Ross also confirmed that Buffett has "not yet agreed to invest in the team" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/9). Also in Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde wrote of the Land Shark deal, "If it somehow helps Ross recoup some of the pre-recession $1.1[B] he over-sank into this purchase, good for him. If it also scratches Ross' itch about trying to bring the entertainment world to the marching-band crowd, so be it, too" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/9). Ross' Senior Adviser Arlen Kantarian was present at Friday's concert, and the SUN-SENTINEL's Harvey Fialkov wrote, "I'm sure [he] ... had a huge hand in this promotion" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 5/8).

OUTSIDE IMPACT: Marlins President David Samson said the team "got a memo to say that the Marlins now play in LandShark Stadium." Samson: "So, we have to change all of our ads. We have to change all of our signage. We have to change all of our stationery." More Samson: "I admire Stephen Ross. He's an intelligent businessman. He's trying to create a great atmosphere at Dolphins games, which is exactly what we try to create at Marlins games" (MLB.com, 5/10).