''Miami Dolphins want to make Sun Life Stadium feel more like the old Orange Bowl''

[djphinfan]

"Adding seats will dramatically help the energy and feeling and excitement in the stadium. It's also a challenge when you've got the stands so far away from the field, and we want to rectify that."

''NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear Friday that the Dolphins shouldn't expect to host another Super Bowl until they make significant improvements to Sun Life Stadium.

That was no surprise to Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, whose focus now is revamping the stadium to make it more attractive to his team's fans.

Ironically, that could mean making it more like the Orange Bowl, the stadium the team abandoned in 1987 and was demolished four years ago.

In the Orange Bowl, the fans were on top of the action and could intimidate the opponent. Sun Life Stadium is often comparatively lifeless, especially at Dolphins games in recent years.

Dee's plan is to get fans closer to the action. Because the club no longer shares the stadium with the Marlins, the Dolphins can reconfigure the field and potentially add 3,500 lower-bowl seats between the 20-yard lines.

They also could put fans just 18 feet from the team benches instead of the current 80 feet.''

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...m-2146961.html..


Me likey..Our players and fans deserve it, lets hope the NFL can help fund it..Very exciting news..

[Anonymous]

Man, I wish we could just get a new stadium.

[djphinfan]

Man, I wish we could just get a new stadium.

me too bro, but I'll take what I can get..

[Killerphins]

It is tough to move concrete.

[ToddsPhins]

Great to hear Deej.
80 feet? That's ridiculous.

[ToddsPhins]

It is tough to move concrete.

[Coral Reefer]

Godell has a LOT of nerve continuing his assault on S. FL. considering just how damn good this area has been to the NFL and their signature game.

Pretty sick of hearing his crap and I'd hope there are people in the Phins organization pushing back a little.
It rains for one Super Bowl and all of a sudden the stadium isn't good enough for them.
Meanwhile they schedule a Super Bowl in an open air Stadium in NY....... Has Godell checked the weather in NY in Feb?
Will his VIP ticket holders that couldn't handle mist in Miami be happy with 30 degree temps and sleet?

Bottom line is that there isn't another area in the Country that offers as much in hosting a Super Bowl than S. FL.
Someone needs to remind this asshat of that.

[Coral Reefer]

Great to hear Deej.
80 feet? That's ridiculous.

Yeah I would love to see the Engineering plan behind this.

[SICK]

It is tough to move concrete.

Hence them saying that they will be "adding" seats.

[djphinfan]

Godell has a LOT of nerve continuing his assault on S. FL. considering just how damn good this area has been to the NFL and their signature game.

Pretty sick of hearing his crap and I'd hope there are people in the Phins organization pushing back a little.
It rains for one Super Bowl and all of a sudden the stadium isn't good enough for them.
Meanwhile they schedule a Super Bowl in an open air Stadium in NY....... Has Godell checked the weather in NY in Feb?
Will his VIP ticket holders that couldn't handle mist in Miami be happy with 30 degree temps and sleet?

Bottom line is that there isn't another area in the Country that offers as much in hosting a Super Bowl than S. FL.
Someone needs to remind this asshat of that.

you know what Reef, if it gets the job done, I don't care what is said, and how its done, we've suffered for too long.

[SICK]

I dont care if they put 5000 lawn chairs on the field. Get the fans closer to the action.

[ToddsPhins]

Goodell has a LOT of nerve continuing his assault on S. FL. considering just how damn good this area has been to the NFL and their signature game.

Pretty sick of hearing his crap and I'd hope there are people in the Phins organization pushing back a little.
It rains for one Super Bowl and all of a sudden the stadium isn't good enough for them.
Meanwhile they schedule a Super Bowl in an open air Stadium in NY....... Has Godell checked the weather in NY in Feb?
Will his VIP ticket holders that couldn't handle mist in Miami be happy with 30 degree temps and sleet?

Bottom line is that there isn't another area in the Country that offers as much in hosting a Super Bowl than S. FL.
Someone needs to remind this asshat of that.

Excellent point, Coral.
Super Bowl in NY.... in February? Too bad all the New Yorkers'll be down here.

Nice job, Goodell. Put a lot of thought into that one, did you?

[ToddsPhins]

It is tough to move concrete.

Hence them saying that they will be "adding" seats.

Perhaps he was referring to Goodell. "Move" as in "inspire", dumdum.

[jw3102]

Godell has a LOT of nerve continuing his assault on S. FL. considering just how damn good this area has been to the NFL and their signature game.

Pretty sick of hearing his crap and I'd hope there are people in the Phins organization pushing back a little.
It rains for one Super Bowl and all of a sudden the stadium isn't good enough for them.
Meanwhile they schedule a Super Bowl in an open air Stadium in NY....... Has Godell checked the weather in NY in Feb?
Will his VIP ticket holders that couldn't handle mist in Miami be happy with 30 degree temps and sleet?

Bottom line is that there isn't another area in the Country that offers as much in hosting a Super Bowl than S. FL.
Someone needs to remind this asshat of that.

I agree. The South Florida area has beautiful beaches, beautiful winter weather, and plenty of hotel rooms for all the Super Bowl fans. If the old Orange Bowl, with its dilapidated restrooms, and terrible seats was good enough to host several Super Bowls, the present stadium certainly is far superior to the old Orange Bowl. The NFL is merely trying to force the citizens of Miami Dade County to fund these stadium improvements with additional taxpayer money, by withholding future Super Bowls in South Florida until these improvements are made.

If the NFL and the Dolphins owner want to pay for all these improvements to the stadium, great. If on the other hand they expect the citizens of Miami Dade County to instead pay for these upgrades, they can hold the Super Bowl game in Indiana every year, as far as I am concerned.

Joe Robbie built the entire stadium without taxpayer money, so Ross who is certainly much richer than Robbie ever was, can certainly afford to pay for for the upgrades he and the NFL seem to think is necessary for the stadium.

[jw3102]

you know what Reef, if it gets the job done, I don't care what is said, and how its done, we've suffered for too long.

I have no idea what you are talking about when you say we have suffered because of the present stadium. It is obvious that you never attended games at the old Orange Bowl if you think that fans are now suffering in the present stadium. I attended games at the new stadium for well over 20 years and I never felt that I was suffering because of the stadium. My suffering had to do with the poor play of the team over the last decade, certainly not because of the physical structure of the stadium.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the stadium which a winning team will not solve. I watched many games in the stadium during the Marino years and I can assure you that the crowd noise was extremely loud when the Dolphins were winning games back then. Perhaps selling only 44,000 season tickets this past year and having thousands of empty seats at each home game is the real problem, not the stadium itself.

As I have stated a number of times on this forum, I have no problem with Mr. Ross and the NFL making upgrades to the stadium, as long as they are going to pay for these upgrades and they don't expect the citizens of Miami Dade County to contribute one cent to these upgrades.

[Lab3003]

It's a poorly constructed stadium. I go to every Miami Hurricanes game, and I can absolutely say that aside from the amenities, the view of the action in the orange bowl was better.

[jw3102]

It's a poorly constructed stadium. I go to every Miami Hurricanes game, and I can absolutely say that aside from the amenities, the view of the action in the orange bowl was better.

I will certainly agree that the present stadium is not as intimate as the old Orange Bowl. This was done on purpose when Joe Robbie had the stadium constructed because he always intended for it to be a multi-purpose stadium for football and baseball.

My problem is with the NFL trying to force Miami taxpayers to pay for upgrades if we want another Super Bowl. Personally I feel the NFL and Mr. Ross can pay for these upgrades or they can just play the Super bowl game somewhere else every year.

I loved the atmosphere of the old Orange Bowl and I missed it when Joe Robbie stadium first opened. Joe Robbie stadium is just fine with me right now and once the Dolphins and Hurricanes start winning again and fans start showing up for the games, all this concern about being too far from the action will cease to be a problem. Fans want to see winning football teams and as was shown by the fans during the championship years of the Dolphins and the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. They don't care about the bad seats or broken down toilets when you are winning. The stadium only becomes an issue when you are losing football games.

If Ross, and Ireland fix the football team, Dee won't have to be worried about the NFL initiated problems with the stadium.

[PhinsRDbest]

Must have Aquariums!!!








But honestly, add the seats to move fans closer and bring back Flipper the Dolphins to kick field goals!

[VanDolPhan]

My problem is with the NFL trying to force Miami taxpayers to pay for upgrades if we want another Super Bowl. Personally I feel the NFL and Mr. Ross can pay for these upgrades or they can just play the Super bowl game somewhere else every year.

How much have the taxpayers put in so far? Compared to most other NFL cities I think Miami's taxpayers have gotten a pretty darn good deal over the years. Joe Robbie was privately financed I do believe another $250 million has been spent privately (not 100% sure on that figure though) on upgrading the stadium since the early 90's.

Honestly I'd have to see what kind of money they'd be asking for but if it's fairly low and keeps them from looking for a brand new stadium for another 15 years....it'd probably make more financial sense then ending up in a Vikings like situation.

Edit: Actually even if taxpayers kick in a little....this looks like Miami is more or less gearing up to hit the NFL's new G4 financing fund from the new collective bargaining agreement.

That could mean raising money. Past efforts to get funding from the state Legislature have failed but the Dolphins might be able to get help from the league.

A provision in the new collective bargaining agreement called the G4 financing plan lets the league use its revenue to help fund stadium construction or improvements.

[PSG]

"Adding seats will dramatically help the energy and feeling and excitement in the stadium. It's also a challenge when you've got the stands so far away from the field, and we want to rectify that."

''NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear Friday that the Dolphins shouldn't expect to host another Super Bowl until they make significant improvements to Sun Life Stadium.

That was no surprise to Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, whose focus now is revamping the stadium to make it more attractive to his team's fans.

Ironically, that could mean making it more like the Orange Bowl, the stadium the team abandoned in 1987 and was demolished four years ago.

In the Orange Bowl, the fans were on top of the action and could intimidate the opponent. Sun Life Stadium is often comparatively lifeless, especially at Dolphins games in recent years.

Dee's plan is to get fans closer to the action. Because the club no longer shares the stadium with the Marlins, the Dolphins can reconfigure the field and potentially add 3,500 lower-bowl seats between the 20-yard lines.

They also could put fans just 18 feet from the team benches instead of the current 80 feet.''

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...m-2146961.html..


Me likey..Our players and fans deserve it, lets hope the NFL can help fund it..Very exciting news..

I'm nor engineer, but seem like that would be impossible without tearing the whole thing down.