Venue News & Notes: Landshark Knocking at Dolphin Stadium Door

Dolphin Stadium in Miami has been corporation-free — at least in name
— since 2005, but that is likely to change before the stadium hosts the Super
Bowl next February. The stadium’s president announced this week that Dolphin
Stadium will likely complete a naming-rights deal with Landshark Lager, a beer
brewed by Anheuser-Busch. The name change would mean that the dolphins are now
in danger of playing in Landshark Stadium, at least for the short term.

Dolphin Stadium, which has not had a corporate name since
2005, likely will complete a naming-rights deal with Landshark Lager, a beer brewed by
Anheuser-Busch, the stadium’s president said this week. The stadium could be
renamed Landshark Stadium, although Dolphin Stadium President Bruce Schulze would
not confirm the exact likely new name…
…State legislators seem willing to give Indianapolis officials the power to raise
several local taxes to help fund the city’s troubled stadiums agency. That
plan, though, would force Mayor Greg Ballard to take some of the heat for
increasing any of those taxes — and the task of persuading the Indianapolis
Colts and Indiana Pacers to perhaps kick in millions of dollars a year…
…The Waterman-Pinnacle land in Florida has been selected as the new home for the $80 million Red Sox spring-training facility.
The Lee County Board of County
Commissioners has
convened and made the choice. Red Sox COO Mike Dee was on
hand for the decision. The site is located on Daniels Parkway near Southwest Florida
International Airport…
…The New Orleans Saints agreed to a lease extension that will keep the NFL team playing home games
in an improved Louisiana Superdome through the 2025 season. A person with
direct knowledge of lease negotiations confirmed to the Associated Press that a
general agreement has been reached and was expected to be signed later in the
week after final details have been worked out. The person spoke on condition of
anonymity because the team and governor had yet to make the announcement…
…A sports center that would include a 3,000-seat baseball stadium,
soccer fields, and a football/track facility is being proposed for the south
side of Springfield, IL. Still in the preliminary stages of
planning and with many financial hurdles to overcome, the complex would be
built near Interstate 72 and Second
Street on land owned by Calvary Temple.
Calvary has agreed to donate the property,
about 123 acres, if the complex is built.