The fact that the Miami Hurricanes are stuck playing 21 miles away from campus in Sun Life Stadium sucks. The likelihood of the team ever getting their own stadium is slim. It's a situation without many solutions, so news that there's at least some interest in the Hurricanes perhaps becoming a tenant in David Beckham's proposed MLS stadium is certainly intriguing.
Barry Jackson says that both sides have had preliminary discussion. There are of course a lot of details that stand in the way:
- There's about two decades left on the University of Miami's agreement with Sun Life Stadium
- Beckham's MLS stadium would likely just need about 25,000 seats, a common number for newer built MLS stadiums. The 'Canes however say they need at least 40,000 (which would make it the third smallest stadium in the ACC, by the way).
- The 'Canes would also need larger locker rooms, and particular parking arrangements (What's college football without tailgating after all?)
- The extra demands and concerns needed to build a stadium fit for both the Miami Beckhams and the Miami Hurricanes could make finding the perfect site all the much harder.
Though, the idea of moving the Hurricanes home field back into City of Miami limits has numerous advantages:
- Students could likely return to taking the trip to the stadium via Metrorail like they did to the Orange Bowl. Depending on the situation the school might not even need to rent out busses to complete the trip from the Metrorail stop to the actual stadium.
- No more embarrassing seas of empty orange seats broadcast on television!
- Increased crowd noise!
- Pretty much the only realistic chance the team will have to play outside of Miami Gardens for decades.
The advantages for Beckham and his team of investors are there too:
- The Miami Hurricane fan base and brand actually exists, and having a preexisting team that stirs strong local sentiment in play as part of negotiations could help with negotiations and public opinion.
- Extra stadium revenue obviously!
- A stadium built to accommodate college football could someday attract a bowl game as well.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
