Nobody seems to know where the Miami Hurricanes will be playing football in a few years. Judging by weekly shots of the football crowd at Miami games, it seems many fans don’t know where they play now. Low attendance is a concern for Miami and is part of the reason the school is exploring its options for the future. Outgoing university president Donna Shalala said Sun Life Stadium is “too big and cavernous for a college of our size,” and she is hopeful something more accommodating and fulfilling can be secured soon.
“I know this: Leasing space is not the best situation for anyone, for the [Miami] Dolphins or for us,” Shalala said, according to Associated Press. “Being a tenant, we’ve had two tenancies, one at the Orange Bowl and one at Dolphins Stadium, and I don’t much like being a tenant.”
Miami moved to Sun Life Stadium after the old Orange Bowl was torn down to make way for the monstrosity that is a baseball stadium for the Florida Miami Marlins, which now serves as the home of the Miami Beach Bowl. Sun Life Stadium is a good 30 minutes away from Miami’s campus, which has always been a deterrent for Miami attendance. Parking costs are also a concern for some.
Sun Life Stadium is set to undergo some nice upgrades, which are designed to attract more fans to games and make for a more enjoyable game day experience, but one other idea that has been discussed is potentially opening a new stadium in a joint effort with Major League Soccer. Soccer superstar David Beckham is part of a group looking to pitch an expansion franchise in Miami, but it is still a work in progress. Sharing a stadium with a new MLS franchise could help Miami financially, assuming it can get out of the lease with Sun Life Stadium. Being closer to campus and in a newer venue could be refreshing for Miami.