Donna Shalala Rekindles Talks of Hurricanes Playing in David Beckham's New Stadium

The Miami Hurricanes play in a professional stadium that's probably twice as big as what they need. David Beckham has a proposed MLS franchise that needs a new, smaller stadium of its own to call home. It's been apparent to some any new stadium should be a mid-sized building that could fit both teams. 

However, that idea seemed to be dead last June when Beckham and his partners were pursuing a stadium at Museum Park. Those plans are long since dead, but the idea didn't pop back up again until now. 

Now, outgoing University of Miami president Donna Shalala has brought them back to life. 

"I would love to do something before I leave," Shalala told the Associated Press. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to, but I'm putting in everybody's head that we've got to figure this one out."

"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," she continued. 

Shalala also noted that big-screen, high-definition TVs make it easier for people to decide to stay at home, if not provide a better overall viewing experience. That may be especially true with Miami's humid weather and often bad traffic around Sun Life Stadium during games. 

Essentially she's painting the idea of a smaller stadium not as one of defeat, but rather adaptation. 

As a private school, Miami has a smaller student base than many of its Division I rivals, and it competes for attendance in a town that already has teams playing in the four major sports and is about add a fifth. 

However, Shalala says that the idea of somehow partnering with Beckham remains just an idea. 

Beckham, meanwhile, has no concrete stadium plans of his own. A site near Marlins Park (which ironically sits on the same site as the Orange Bowl, the Hurricanes' old home) remains the most popular choice, but Beckham's group has not offered any comment on the matter. 

In any event, Shalala is scheduled to step down later this summer to take the reigns of the Clinton Foundation. The ultimate decision will likely come down to her successor Dr. Julio Frenk.