A-B lager brand in Dolphins stadium talks

Anheuser-Busch brand Landshark Lager is reportedly set to sign a stadium naming-rights deal with the NFL team Miami Dolphins. 

According to several reports coming out of Florida, the beer – licensed under singer Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville brand – is going to sign a one-year deal in order to gain exposure during the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV.

Sources close to the deal believe that Buffett will help finance the deal by playing two concerts at the stadium in Miami Gardens at little or no cost, allowing the Dolphins to rake in huge gate receipts.

It is believed such a deal would not only be the shortest naming-rights deal in NFL history, but would also be the only one to have been paid for by music concerts.

According to the St Louis Business Journal, a source close to the deal said Dolphins owner Steven Ross “believes the naming-rights market won’t correct for a few more years, and this was the only way to get (enticement) money now.”

Should the deal go through, a potential conflict could emerge with MillerCoors, which owns the beer marketing rights for the NFL and Super Bowl. MillerCoors could request that the stadium name is not officially recognised or used by league broadcasters.

Alan Lodge, 05.05.2009