Name change on horizon for Sun Life Stadium

It is only a matter of time before the stadium the Miami Dolphins call home is called by yet another name.

Sun Life Stadium will be no more within three years industry sources are saying because Sun Life Financial, the parent company behind the naming rights to the stadium, announced last week it was pulling up stakes in the United States.

The Canadian company is retreating from two staples of its U.S operation, according to various news reports, because it has been stung by the dark economic outlook and unpredictable market volatility that has made it difficult to sustain the traditional life insurance model.

After a strategic review by new CEO Dean Connor, Sun Life says it will no longer sell life insurance and variable-rate annuities in the U.S. The company is expected to turn its sights toward Asia.

And that means that in three years when the naming rights agreement between the Dolphins and the financial giant expires, the name Sun Life will come off the stadium the Dolphins call home.

A Dolphins spokesman was unavailable for comment.

The Dolphins are expected to begin a search for a new naming rights partner in the very near future.

This isn't really a new thing for the stadium where Miami plays. Originally it was called Dolphins Stadium, then it was renamed Joe Robbie Stadium in a 1986 announcement by the Robbie children to honor their father, the Dolphins original owner.

In 1996 Pro Player, a division of Fruit of the Loom, took over sponsorship naming rights. Pro Player Apparel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999 but before the name came off in 2001, the facility was also renamed Pro Player Park.

Then came Dolphins Stadium. Then came Dolphin Stadium. Then from May 2009 to January 2010 the name was changed to Land Shark Stadium, after the beer. Sun Life Financial came on the scene in 2010 when the company tried its now-failed expansion in the United States.

Sun Life and the Dolphins signed a five-year agreement at the time and that deal is two years old. Three years remain.When that time elapses the stadium known more for its name changes than actual names will change names.

Again.