The Dolphins' 18-year deal to rename their facility Hard Rock Stadium is believed to be worth about $250M, or nearly $14M annually, and would be the "third-highest annual naming rights payout for any NFL stadium," according to Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD. AT&T pays the Cowboys about $19M per year for naming rights while the Giants/Jets MetLife deal is worth $16M annually. The Rams are "expected to surpass" the Dolphins when they "line up a naming rights deal for their new stadium." The Hard Rock deal is "about twice what the team received" from Sun Life for its deal, which expired after last season's Orange Bowl. Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said that more than 50 companies "expressed interest in naming rights, but Hard Rock was appealing." Garfinkel: "We love the name. We love the brand. It's all about entertainment. That's what we're about with this stadium." Jackson notes the NFL is "leery about any association with gambling," and Hard Rock Int'l, owned by Seminole Tribe of Florida, owns casinos, including one in Hollywood, Fla. Garfinkel: "The deal we did isn't with the casino. The deal is with the entertainment brand of Hard Rock, the hotels, the restaurants, the live music brand" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/18).
EXPANDING HORIZONS: Garfinkel said that in addition to football, soccer and concerts "will figure prominently in plans for the stadium." In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis in a front-page piece notes Garfinkel announced a "partnership with the Brazilian national soccer team to play six or seven times over the next several years at the stadium." In addition, the first game in next year's Int'l Champions Cup will be played there, with La Liga club Real Madrid "facing another international team to be determined" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/18). Garfinkel said that the Dolphins will "move aggressively to raise the stadium's profile as a concert venue" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 8/17).
PERFORMANCE FIRST: In West Palm Beach, Dave George wrote, the new name "has a nice ring to it." George: "At least the naming sponsor is located in South Florida and reflects the flash and the money and the personality of the market better than previous brands like Sun Life or Pro Player" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 8/17). But in Miami, Greg Cote writes fans "don't care about the name on the building." Cote: "They care about the team in it. ... Everything but the success of the team is window dressing." The $500M in stadium improvements underwritten by Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross are "not as important" to Dolphins and Univ. of Miami fans as "both those teams extracting themselves from the mire and reclaiming past glories." Cote: "Regaining the national stage. Winning big. Mattering again." At least the "improved stadium provides a tangible benefit for fans." Cote: "A stadium name doesn't" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/18).
