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What's in a name?

By Andrew Joseph

There are lots of old anecdotes and bits of advice that say that the only thing we really ever have control over is our name. The old folks in our lives remind us that it's something important. It seems that our generation doesn't have the same respect that our ancestors did, especially in sports.

The most obvious example is Chad Ochocinco, who is now toying with the idea of 85 in Japanese. The real pressing issue of an identity crisis is where in the heck they are playing the Super Bowl this year. (No one asked where the Pro Bowl was played, because nobody cares)

Currently the game is scheduled to be played in Sun Life Stadium. Sun Life is a Canadian insurance company that is bound and determined to get everyone in America buying into the "strength and heritage" of that company. When I think of heritage, I think of a venue that had seven names since it opened in 1987.

Back when the stadium opened it was called Joe Robbie Stadium. Mr. Robbie was the founder of the Dolphins, and it seems pretty logical that the building would be named after him.

Then in 1996 things got interesting.

Mr. Robbie had passed a few years before, and Floridians, who are never ones to pay tribute, changed the name to Pro Player Park. That didn't sit well with some, so in 1997 the name switched to Pro Player Stadium. The name stuck with the South Floridians for about a decade, until 2005 when the name was changed to Dolphins Stadium. Presumably because only one dolphin could fit into the concrete rectangle the name was shorted to Dolphin Stadium in 2006.

About 2009, Jimmy Buffet got the idea that beer-making was way more profitable than singing songs about beer drinking, and he started his own brewery - with the help of Anheuser-Busch. Both Jimmy and the Dolphins had a problem. Jimmy wanted more folks to know about his brew. The Fins wanted a party atmosphere, and probably a few dollars. In a move that will go down as one of the greatest marketing moves ever, they decided to call the venue Land Shark Stadium for a year.

For the past two weeks the venue has been referred to as Dolphin Stadium, until last week when a name that really made sense was given to it - at least for the next five years, with the option for an additional five.

The shame is that all the people who have Super Bowl tickets won't have any idea where to go. The tickets have Dolphin Stadium printed on them, which, from our reading above we know doesn't exist. The NFL isn't even telling us where exactly the game is being played. It's been billed as being in South Florida, not Miami, or its technical location in Opa-Locka.

This weekend when you sit down to watch the game - or the 375 hours of pre-game coverage - make sure you know exactly where you are sitting. You sure won't know exactly where the game is being played.

Originally Published: February 3, 2010

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