The stadium's original purpose was intended for a home for the Miami Dolphins, as the stadium was built by the founder of the Dolphins, Joe Robbie. Even though South Florida didn't yet have a baseball team, Robbie specified that the stadium should be built to slightly different specifications than a normal football field to accommodate a baseball team as well. This resulted in the seats being further back on the field than they typically are in football stadiums.
In 1993, the Florida Marlins played their first game at the stadium, which was then in 50/50 ownership between Joe Robbie and Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga. Shortly after, in the beginning of 1994, Huizenga gained full ownership of the stadium and began making modifications to it for future baseball games. While the stadium can hold approximately 75,000 fans, for baseball games the capacity is brought down to about 36,000 seats to ensure that each seats has a proper view of the field. This is because the seats are all angled toward the 50-yard line of the football field, causing viewing limitations for center and left field play during a baseball game.
The Sun Life Stadium is also home to the famous Orange Bowl college football game. This game has been played annually every January since 1935. This is one of the longest running bowl-games in the US and it was moved to the Sun Life Stadium for its 1997 game.
The stadium has hosted five Super Bowls in its lifetime, and two National League Division Series games, two National League Championship Series games and two World Series games. It has also been the site of Ken Griffey Jr's 600th home run and Roy Halladay's 20th perfect game. Beyond hosting many famous sporting events, the Sun Life Stadium is also used as a sometimes concert venue and many performers have graced the field from U2, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Elton John and Billy Joel. The stadium has also brought in international soccer games, boat shows, monster truck shows, and many trade shows. The stadium offers many amenities to its patrons and will continue to offer more in the future. In addition to large video boards in the east and west end of the stadium, the stadium also features one of the largest LED ribbon boards in the world. There are bars and lounges in the stadium, as well as The Club, a VIP area with personalized guest services, VIP entrances and climate controlled seating. Sun Life Stadium provides a superior experience for its patrons and will continue to change and grow to become of the best stadiums in the country.