In Ft. Lauderdale, Chris Perkins writes Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is “hopeful he will reach a deal” with the Dolphins on a $400M Sun Life Stadium renovation -- “financed by the team -- by the end of the week." If the Dolphins and Gimenez reach a deal, it could be “presented to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners by the end of the month.” The commissioners meet every two weeks. Under terms of the proposed deal, the county would “pay ‘incentives’ to the Dolphins for hosting events such as the Super Bowl and the College Football Championship at Sun Life Stadium” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 6/10).
DAWG PARK: In Cleveland, Gabe Spiegel noted the Browns have reached an agreement that will “pay the city about $7,000 per game” for use of land “on the west side of FirstEnergy Stadium.” The city of Cleveland owns the land, which “holds 1,700 parking spots” (FOX8.com, 6/6).
VISION QUEST: Northwestern Univ. yesterday announced upgrades to the in-stadium video display capabilities in Ryan Field, with plans to nearly triple the size of the existing videoboard and install new LED ribbon boards overlooking both the north and south end zones. The videoboards are expected to be in place ahead of NU's football home opener against Cal on Aug. 30. The primary videoboard structure in the northeast corner of the stadium will increase from its current 390 square feet of screen surface area to more than 1,100 square feet (NU).
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE: Arkansas State Univ. has partnered with Daktronics to make improvements to Centennial Bank Stadium. Approximately 1,600 square feet of LED video display will be added to the south end zone along with a custom audio system, delay-of-game clocks and locker room clocks (Daktronics).
