South Florida Business Journal has an article on the Land Shark stadium deal: “How the Miami Dolphins landed a shark”
It was late last year, with his NFL team in the midst of a surprisingly successful season, and new Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was humming a tune he just couldn’t get out of his head: “Fins,” a signature song from part-time Florida resident Jimmy Buffett. “You’ve got fins to the left, fins to the right, and you’re the only bait in town.”
Ross, recalling the familiar tune, then turned to Buffett, a Florida icon with national appeal. Talks started last year about a promotional partnership, and Buffett bought into the concept immediately. The relationship grew to include naming rights to the Dolphins’ home field. Buffett explained the attraction in early May at a concert when the lid was taken off the deal that rechristened the Dolphins home as Land Shark Stadium.
“We gave half the tickets to Parrot Head clubs and half to Dol-fans, and you can’t tell the difference,” said an ebullient Buffett, referring to the moniker of each group’s fan base.