An Upstate NYer's opinion on the crowd sizes at SunLife

I would generally agree with you, but not everyone shares that same mentality. When you can watch every game at a time (and track your fantasy football players), while from the comfort of the ac it tips the scales for a lot of people. Take the Monday night game for example, I was in Tampa visiting my brother and we talked about the game. It was going to cost $100 dollar a ticket to sit in the corner of the stadium in really crappy seats. At that point an HD broadcast on a 60" TV provides a much better viewing experience.

 

The fact of the matter is right now the value that you get out of going to a game (especially a dolphins game) doesn't justify the cost.

 

The constant let downs that this team has given their fans for the last decade is the main reason why no one wants to go and its the absolute main reason I gave up my 4 seats after over 30 seasons.

There was a time that you could hardly find a ticket for games. The Marino era and on into 2002/3 or so. Fans want to go but not to see the team they root for constantly shoot themselves in the feet...

 

Your example tells me you have no idea what the problem is..or how serious it is..

 

Did you skip the part of my post where I prefaced "if you can afford it"

 

Its an interesting take to black them out to fix the problem, I think it might work but idk..what if it creates more apathy.?

 

Actually yes I did, my apologies.

 

What!!! People attending games instead of doing other things could have a positive affect on the ball club??

f you can afford it, then why not try to get your *** to the game and cheer for your team if you know it could help them, if you don't at least prioritize your team over other entertainment things you might do instead, then you ain't no real fan..yeah I said it..

 

Yes, losing a good portion of your net worth will have an effect on how much you're going to spend on tickets to a football game. I have a hard time believing someone who's most valuable asset just went underwater is going to spend money going to watch a football game. Just a hunch.

The Miami Heat are working with different demographics. The NFL is a middle-class sport to a much greater degree than the NBA. The middle-class in South Florida has been crushed. The reality is that the middle class' largest investments are predominately their homes. When your main demographic is hemorrhaging their life-savings, then yes thats going to affect attendance.

 

I've been to dozens and dozens of games at 1 and at 4.... The difference in energy is very tangible..at 1 o'clock you have folks battling the heat, profusely sweating, trying to find shade, and quite honestly no blame to them, quite miserable, their only solace is hoping that the other team is feeling it as well, and, that our team is used to it...which is more crap.

 

It's definitely a major part of it.

 

DJ, as I have told you numerous times, I have gone to hundreds of games at Sun Life stadium and I see nothing wrong with the stadium. I yell and scream when the defense is on the field and I get excited when the offense has a big play. When there are large crowds, the noise in the stadium is loud enough to affect the opposing teams offense.

The problem is the team just hasn't been exciting enough or winning enough to draw the large crowds they used to get at Sun Life stadium.

The Marlins have a brand new stadium, but they have the lowest attendance in MLB because they have a team that very few people want to pay to see.

I'll admit that the atmosphere at the old Orange Bowl was better, but the team was a lot better when the Dolphins played there and that created a desire to actually go to the games with Dolphin fans.

I can also remember attending Miami Hurricane games in the old Orange Bowl in the 1970's and prior to 1982 and the stadium was half empty and the atmosphere in the stadium sucked. The atmosphere for Canes games got a whole lot better once they started winning national championships.

Since I anticipate you will be going to games for several years to come, I hope for your sake that the Dolphins get the stadium they desire so they don't leave South Florida. I would just be very surprised if the voters in this county approve money for the stadium. I could be wrong and perhaps they will surprise me by voting to help fund upgrades to the stadium. Whether or not these upgrades are approved, I don't see the attendance dramatically increasing until this team once again becomes a consistent winner.

 

I will agree that the fan of today is different than the fan of just a few decades ago. Back then, the average fan could afford to go to games or even buy season tickets. Today it is harder for the typical middle income individual to afford to go to more than a game or two a year and in some cases, they can't afford to go any games.

Yet that doesn't account for all the fans who still have plenty of money to go to games if the team was winning and the product on the field wasn't just mediocre. I have purchased four tickets for many years. In recent years, I have had tickets which went unused because I couldn't even give them away for free to friends who have plenty of money to go to the games. I will assure you if the games weren't televised for free on game days, many of the fans with money would be going to games instead of watching the game on TV.

While the economic realities of some former fans who used to attend games might not make that possible today. There are hundreds of thousands of individuals in the South Florida area who have the financial resources to attend Dolphin home games. Many of these individuals are either not Dolphin fans or they have decided that they have no interest in attending Dolphin home games because the product isn't good enough.

Home prices declined in many other areas where NFL teams play, but in areas where the team is a consistent winner, fans have continued to find the financial resources to attend home games in these cities.

As far as the NBA being less a middle class sport than the NFL, I disagree. Obviously those sitting sitting in the front row or court side are the rich and famous, I won't deny that. The majority of the fans in the arena though are the same type fans who attend Dolphin games. I know this because I attend several Heat games every season and the people sitting around me certainly aren't the rich and famous. These Heat fans enjoy the excitement of the team and they want to spend their money to attend games. The Dolphins have to provide this same type excitement if they want to attract more paying fans to the stadium.

 

J-dub, I get it, I get that you've been to both places...it doesn't mean you know where I'm coming from...let me try to make this simple..the stands are too far away, with that simple fact, that our stands are farther away then any other venue in the league, comes negative consequences, packed or not...now I've explained those over and over what they are.. So while I'll appreciate your opinion, I know that your missing vital things in your analysis of this particular situation..

 

The heat used to be an advantage when Shula was the HC. He loved to see teams from other cities come in for 1 PM games and wilt in the second half. Back in those days, the Dolphins practiced in the heat at least twice a day for hours in the heat and humidity of South Florida. They got used to playing in these conditions and they had a definite advantage at home early in the season. Fans also never complained about the heat at the 1 PM games because they knew these games were an advantage for the home team.

Now the Dolphins practice far less in the heat and humidity. Instead they go into the air conditioned bubble every time it is too hot or there is rain in the forecast. Practicing in the A/C means that they are no more used to the heat and humidity than the teams who come to play in Miami. Many fans now expect the stadium to be a place of comfort, with a roof that blocks out the sun in the stands. They want to be protected from getting rained on and seem to want no discomfort at all while attending a football game.

Personally I prefer the heat and humidity when I'm in the stadium and the rain is always a pleasant experience, as long as it isn't accompanied by lighting. I guess I am from the old school, where the game is suppose to be played in the elements and fans bundle up when it is cold or snowing up north. Down here, too many fans just don't want to experience the game in the stadium unless they are sitting in a climate controlled environment. They don't want to have to contend with the weather that is part of living in South Florida. I just think many of the fans today are completely spoiled and they won't get up off their couch and actually attend a game unless they are guaranteed that they will have the same comforts they have in their own homes.

The game itself has been diminished because of all the rule changes over the past twenty years. The fans have diminished the game by being concerned more with the condition of the stadium than the game itself. I remember sitting in the Orange Bowl and after the rain, the fiberglass on the old seats would come off and your butt would itch for several days after the game because the fiberglass was stuck in your butt. That was part of the experience and while it wasn't pleasant, it didn't matter because the game on the field was all that mattered back then. Today the players and the fans are just too spoiled, IMO.

 

I'm from here as well but that doesn't mean I enjoy subjecting myself to that bull****. Especially not later in the season.

 

I've been there quiet a few times man and the energy reminds me of a trailer park w better vending.

 

I know you get frustrated with me over this issue. I wish the seats were closer, as you do. It just doesn't bother me to the same degree it appears to bother you. The seats were in the same location during the Marino years and I don't remember it being the problem it seems to be today. Perhaps it is because back then, the stadium was full and there was plenty of noise in the stadium. Now that the stadium has thousands of empty seats, the distance the seats are from the field seems to be a major issue.

If all Ross wants to do is move the seats closer to the field, I'm all for it. I just don't want to see one penny of tax payer money spent on putting a roof on the stadium. I think that is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. A roof isn't needed and hasn't been needed since the team came to South Florida in 1966. If fans can't stand the heat, humidity and rain that comes with attending sporting events in South Florida. Perhaps they need to move to a location that isn't known for this type of weather for the majority of the year.

 

I don't live in Florida anymore. Even when I did I was a LONG way from Miami. I can say right now I wouldn't be able to afford to go to many games if I was there. Football is expensive and I think that's part of the reason some teams are having attendance issues. From a financial standpoint something like baseball is much more accessible.

 

Maybe you should all consider the fact that it's a faltering fanbase that has had nothing to root for the past decade and a half. There are still Dolphins' fans here but I'm willing to bet most of the Dolphins fans in Miami are middle aged - old men, the Dolphins haven't been winning to grab the youth and put them in seats. Bunch of Giants, Ravens, Broncos, Steelers and Patriots fans in Miami.

 

South Florida Sports heroes are: Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Jose Fernandez, Giancarlo Stanton.

Those are the players kids are looking up to. They're not going around saying I want to be the next Tannehill or Daniel Thomas. The youth follows players that has shown greatness, not just average.

 

If that accurately reflects attendance, it also follows the heels of Cam Camerons half gainer, plunging alongside our 1-15 nosedive into the league's cesspool of 2007.

 

Tannehill has all the tools to be Aaron Rodgers, but for one reason or another, he has not put it together yet. Maybe it's next year, but it is clear to me he isn't there yet, as the staff has recently had to simplify the offense just to get him to succeed. He is too micromanaged and robotic just like Henne used to be, and Marino's advice to every quarterback he has ever met is to just let it loose, and I've yet to see one actually do that. Tannehill needs to speak up already and let everyone know this is his team and show he is in command.

And you might see Tannehill jerseys in the stadium but I see Stanton/Wade/Lebron/Fernandez jerseys going to Publix or the mall. I've been to a few Marlins games with Fernandez pitching and the crowd is nice despite Marlins not being a good team. I honestly make sure I only go to the games if Fernandez is pitching, it's not being a good fan to some but hey, I want to see a good game, don't want to see a team getting steamrolled.

 

It bothers me because I know how it ultimately affects the players....

You talk of when the stadium would be full..yes Marino would bring them out, but by no means during that time in that stadium have we ever had a real home field advantage, and that's what your not getting..the reason why we can't get to that point of tangibly affecting the energy of our players or distracting the opposing team is because the seats are to far away, and because the seats are to far away your gonna get most of the fans to be spectators, as in not enough engaged like you need to get to that energy level.

 

I was there on Sunday, (we live in Montreal, BTW) and I actually remember walking by the dude and the woman with the free incognito shirts before going in the stadium. He yelled out free incognito and I just gave him a nod lol.

but I agree with this as well. we travel every year to go to at least one game in Florida (we went to two this year though,the Tampa game first then drove done to miami for the second game this year).


But I completely understand why anyone would NOT want to support this team right now. I debated(briefly) whether I wanted to sell my tickets and just not go because the team just fell apart and just made me give up on them...again, bringing back all those old feelings of the "same Ol' Phins"


I have decided that I will not purchase any Miami Dolphins or any NFL related merchandise until they make the playoffs. I made that decision after watching that putrid New England Game.

and aside from the tickets that I bought in the summer, and a drink or two at the games I didn't buy anything.



But with that being said, if I actually lived in Miami, I'd be going to the tailgates for sure and just hang out whether I went to the games or not.
I really do love the game day experience.

 

I really don't see that Tannehill has the same tools as Aaron Rogers. He isn't nearly as accurate in his passing and he has almost zero pocket awareness, compared to Rogers. In fact at this stage of his career Tannhill compares a lot more to Henne than he does to a great QB like Rogers.

As far as him being micromanaged like Henne was. It is rather funny that you compare him to Rogers who had Philbin as his offensive coordinator and don't seem to imply that Philbin tried to micromanage Rodgers, but he is doing this to Tannehill.

I can see Tannehill becoming a good QB in the NFL, but never a great QB. I don't see the Dolphins ever getting to or winning a SB with Tannehill at the QB position. I think in a year or two, Tannehill will be rated with the middle of the pack QB's in the NFL and certainly not in the top tier of QB's in the NFL.

While I hope that Tannehill improves as an NFL QB over the next year and a half. If he doesn't show vast improvement over that time period, it will not surprise me in the least if the Dolphins draft a QB in the first round of the 2015 draft to replace him.

 

Good question by the OP. I`ve wondered many times why the Dolphins dont get great attendance figures, but some responses here enlightened me. If its money issues or personal reasons then its completely understandable. However, I cant understand why other stadiums that mediocre teams call home seem to have great crowds on a weekly basis but the Dolphins do not. I also live in N.Y. and every year when the Dolphins come north to play the Jets I`m there, or when they play in New England I`m there also. I even traveled to Buffalo a few times through the years to see the Dolphins play, which is a haul since I`m in southern N.Y.

I dont, by any means , want to come off like I`m a better fan than others for attending games because thats nonsense. Its each individuals prerogative to attend the games or stay home. If I lived in S. Florida I cant say for sure if I`d attend every home game either but I sure would try like hell. I get where DJ is coming from though, fan support for the players would be awesome.

 

This post makes a lot of sense.

 

All I'm sayin in this RG, if your lucky enough to have a team in your city, and you have an affinity for them, then check your GM ego at the door, push yourself to understand that sitting on the couch watching them is not helping them, understand that energy inside the building helps the home team win games, and if you got the money, stop making excuses not to go, and just go, do your part to help the franchise develop the right type of culture, because if you don't have them in your city one day, you might wish you had..

 

My favourite place to watch the phins was a bar called third and long. It was the resident dolfans nyc bar. I really just liked watching football with my friends. I hated watching us at home and when the cam would view into the corners see oceans of orange seats. I moved to Miami this last summer and got season tics in the nose bleeds. Still would rather be at my old bar, but the one thing I like is the feeling of "Im home" when walking around the stadium with other die hard phin fans. With every thing going on its easy to forget that there are ppl who are dolphin fans till the day they die, thick and thin. Miami is such a fair weather sports city. When the heat didnt have Lebron James, no one cared about the heat. They were hot for a year in 2006. Then nothing....I remember when we won the of season SB and then won our first 3 games, started noticing more ppl in publix or shell with dolphin hats, flags on cars...If we go on a run and make the playoffs, the stadium will be full.

 

Cause most of the diehard fans have moved out of the state by now. I have literally seen and communicated with more Dolfans here than just 90 minutes north of Miami where I used to live. Don't hope for it to get better, it will only get worse.

The only thing that would maybe change it is a real threat to move the team, and even then I wouldn't be terribly confident.