But Ross doesn't care about the fans. Didn't you know that?

 

The money spent on buying extra tickets is not close to the $15M we are under the salary cap.

 

He's an *******. You know what would be a nice gesture? Building a winning football team.

 

As a fan thats great but he still has done some stupid **** since taking over like making all the september home games at 4:00 instead of 1:00 negating our home field advantage.
And don't get me started on the flordia gator crap to pack the stadium that was a slap in the face to the fans and the players.

 

I disagree the fans don't come if its 1:00 or 4:00 because the team sucks and he is not helping matters by giving up our home field advantage which is the heat.

 

Makes sense. Give away the tix so everyone else can stay home and watch? :tongue2:

 

How many 4:00 games do we even have?

 

I'll ask you like I ask everyone. Give me reasons to dislike Ross other than the Gator day which the U turned down and the Harbaugh incident in which Harbaugh didn't come because of Ireland.

 

Just like spending up to the salary cap, this isn't mandatory.

 

I have no problem with Ross. He badly wants to win rather than looking solely at dollar signs and seems to be the type who will go to whatever extent necessary to build a winner; he's not an intrusive owner despite having $500 million reasons to be so; and he seems to care about the fans.

This is still new to him so he's going to make some mistakes while he grows into the role of successful NFL owner, but I like his passion, and I like where his head is at.

 

This year in sept it was only 1 game because we played the pats on mon night week 1.Next year it should be 2
and two games in the nfl can make or break your season.
The dolphins used to be dominant in sept as the oppostion would wear down in the heat.We need every advantage we can get.
I hope ross fiqures that out.

 

To me, we have been very blessed to have back to back owners who are interested in the team's fans and are willing to do out of the ordinary things to make sure fans are catered to.

Do think Sect has some great points about things that need to improve at Sunlife, but still.

 

The fans in our endzones are some of the best in the NFL.

 

Hmmm, and here I thought the girl to guy ratio in Miami was supposed to be pretty good.

 

And it's not just the Dolphins; the Canes feel it, too. Being away from the Orange Bowl's atmosphere has hurt both teams (the Canes to an extreme).

I'd also like to know if there's a difference in noise level on the field for opposing offenses in our stadium vs one where the stands are right on top of the field. I remember Herschel Walker saying the Clemson Tigers would hit him hard, but the Tiger fans would hit him harder. He said the stadium noise was so intense it literally affected his concentration. IMO we're far from being a hostile stadium like the Orange Bowl once was.

 

Build a winning team and the fans will come!

 

Our fans dont need ANYTHING except a better team. When a better team is built the fans will come out in droves! Its the same with most teams.

That stadium is one of the best fields to play on, and especially now that the baseball diamond is gone.

 

Its always a pleasure to be lectured on how to be a good fan by another fan.


[video=youtube;cXSOD1N5lR4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXSOD1N5lR4&feature=related[/video]

 

The only major issue I had with Ross was not firing Sparano before going after Harbaugh, the situation was just handled poorly. It showed a lack of experience on his part. If he wanted to make a change he should have made a change, giving Sparano some flimsy vote of confidence and more time on his contract didn't make anyone believe he was actually wanted in Miami, it seemed more like he was just trying to save face, no one believed Sparano was the long term answer here. He should have moved on from this regime last year if he really wanted a change. And if Ireland is keeping us from getting a top notch coach then Ireland should be fired as well.

 

That's really what it comes down to... Fans don't care because we suck. Not because they dont care, or they are a bunch of *******. Win games, people show up. People don't go to the games because the stadium is ****. They dont go, because this team is not playing up to their abilities, and they're well below 500 again. Give away all the seats and tickets you want... sure its a nice gesture.... but how about we focus on whats important... WIN THE DAMN GAMES.

Complain about the stadium, and the fans all you want. At the end of the day, there's plenty of us here that are diehard fans, but after a while... this **** just gets old. Its not the stadium, its not the noise, its not the owner, its not the uniforms... its the quality of product this team puts forth. 3 and 8, does not exactly instill excitement in a fan base that's seen this for the last how many years now? Nobody here should question anybody's "fandom" regarding this... thats not what its about... its about a team that underperforms what its fanbase demands, its about fans that are passionate about their team, but not willing to spend their hard earned cash, seeing a mediocre product.

So... Mr Ross... its sweet of you to give away tickets to your already existing season ticket holders.... as a way to reward them for their hard earned cash... but... good gesture my ***... you've already got their money. So, what's it matter. Good gesture would be giving the tickets away half priced to come see this mediocre team, with a mediocre coaching staff. Good gesture would be not making an *** of yourself amongst league circles while searching for a new head coach, when youve already got one, good gesture would be realizing that this thing that's going on now... isnt working, and doing everything in your power to fix it. Yes, that means use up that salary cap space if you can add someone, get the best COACH available... not personality... and let the football people have a say in all decisions, regardless of what they entail... that's the good gestures Im looking for... not giving away tickets to already existing season ticket holders.... What does that do to lure new fans??

Im not saying Ross is a bad owner or anything... but to say all is rosey because he's "giving away" tickets to ensure a sellout is just a tad bit crazy.

 

Great.. enjoy watching Raider thugs take over the stadium.

 

No, you're making it out to be more than it is. I seriously dont see how you can say you went to games for years.

 

Ahh, so what you're trying to say amidst this ridiculous statement is that every fan base is equal, and each possesses the same amount of spirit, energy, and unwavering support? It's always a pleasure to see posters making no contribution to a thread despite commenting in it. :wink2:


Our current stadium isn't conducive for creating a hostile environment for opposing teams. It should come a lot easier than it currently does. Unfortunately, it's not just the stadium. It's our fans in general.

I've seen games at sports bars that host local Miami Dolphin fan clubs, and I've been to ones frequented by Steeler fans. There's a noticeable difference between the 2. Sitting in the Dolphins bar was like being in a library; meanwhile Steeler fans were more akin to a prison riot, just without the fires & stabbings.

 

Yup, it's not just about the talent you bring in. Part of Miami's magic was the Orange Bowl and the energy & atmosphere of that place. IMO you can't remove a piece of that magic and still expect the same results.

 

That's not necessarily true. Fans will show up regardless of win-loss record if they can feel more "involved" during the game in a stadium that's more conducive to a better game day atmosphere. It's not just about the game; it's about the entire game day experience, and the current stadium detracts from that. The stadium does no favors to entice fans to show up when Miami is losing. Plus the location is terrible, and there's nothing around the stadium to help make games an all day experience.

Clemson was 6-7 last year and was still at 97% attendance capacity while finishing ranked 17th nationally in average attendance per game (7-6 Michigan still averaged 111,825 fans per game, tops in the country). They accomplish this b/c the game day atmosphere & ambiance are outstanding. People drive from all over South Carolina & NC to see games b/c the experience extends further than just watching a 3 hour game and going home.

Let me ask you this: do people frequent bars just to drink, or is there more to it than that? Ones that offer little more than expensive booze probably don't receive as much traffic as the ones that make it more of a complete experience. Similarly, fans should have more of a reason than just "winning" to attend games, especially since winning isn't a guarantee.

 

Deej, you know how I'd address the stadium needs to get the place louder and more involved?

I'd build (or alter) the stadium in 4 seating levels.

The top level would be a throwback to the Orange Bowl by featuring noisy aluminum-rowed seats.
This would accomplish a few things:
1. It allows more people to afford games, especially families (which would establish more relationships with kids, making them more inclined to become loyal attending fans as adults).
2. It also allows for more fans per square foot, which means more noise (and little to no loss of revenue).

I'd build a lipped structure (like the top half of a "C") around the stadium above the aluminum seating section that's angled and constructed in such a way to acoustically direct noise to the center of the field. This would work in conjunction with the condensed fans in the upper section jumping on noisy aluminum seats.

The middle levels would be just like normal.

The first level wouldn't really be a level; it'd simply be a few more rows of aluminum seating on the field itself around the entire perimeter of the stadium. It would be standing-room only and only for die-hard fans sporting Dolphin gear. If we give a reason for both the bottom and top perimeter of the stadium to get highly involved and get them sounding noisier, the middle 2 levels would be more likely to follow suit IMO.

 

You don't know what next yr will have yet. As a rule, there are not many 4pm games anyway. besides, the heat is not a particular advantage anyway. Just look at our guys as well. If it was and advantage, then we should win all home games late in the season.

 

The Steelers have had very good teams for years. When they don't it's not the same. They're a good fanbase but they are not the Redskins, Broncos, Packers fans.

During the Marino years, you could not hear yourself think at Joe Robbie stadium.

Is it the best stadium in the NFL? Hell no but its nowhere near the worst. Is it the Orange Bowl? No but we have the City of Miami to blame for that as much as anything else. They refused to help the Dolphins and let them build their own stadium. By doing so they lost all the revenues to that part of town. Only to see the same spot given to MLB with a ton of scams to go along with it.

But with a good, solid, contending team, the fans with flock to Joe Robbie because this is, and always will be a football town. A town very similar to the majority of fanbases in the NFL. Everyone wants to root for a winner.

 

I enjoy these weekly Stephen Ross threads.