I live in New Orleans and fly to Miami once or twice a year to see the Dolphins play. Needless to say, it is a big deal for me. I was at the game yesterday. I had good tickets. Lower-deck around the goal line. The score was tied 10-10 with about six minutes to go. Cleveland's ball at the 20 yard line, right in front of me. The Defense had been playing lights-out and needed the crowd's enthusiam. I stood up and began to chant DEE-FENSE. The Dolphin fan behind me tapped me on the back and asked me to sit down. After the play I told him curtly, but not rudely, "no" and turned around for second down without sitting. He yelled to me "no one else is standing up, why are you?" To which I this time YELLED: "BECAUSE I'M AT A FOOTBALL GAME!!!" Then he called me an a-hole and I returned with worse language. I stayed standing for the awesome 3 and out which ended in an awesome sack by my man Cam Wake. He left before the game was over. Not only was this guy a total jerk, but he was right! No one else was standing in my section!!! I'm done with defending the Miami fans. Yes, the game was terrible, but when you're tied 10-10 with 6 minutes left, you gotta support your defense. Pathetic.
Wrong. Anyone who would sit on their hands in a 10-10 tie with 6 minutes to go should have just left the building.
I was there. My family has had season tickets for nearly 30 years. When it's appropriate to stand and/or the people in front of us do, we stand. I have stood for hundreds of plays where the stadium rocked and the offense still gets a first down. It makes no difference.
Have you done scientific experiments with a control group? Me neither. I know when it is appropriate to stand as well. And if you wanna play the credibility game I can do that too: I had season tickets from 1982-1997. The crowd was pathetic yesterday. Yes, the play on the field was lackluster, but come on!
There were still fans at the 6 minute mark of the 4th? Usually finfans beat traffic at the end of the 3rd, so you actually witnessed a great deal of fan support yesterday.
I don't know what to tell you. It is what it is. It was a beautiful day to be outside and watch a game. That was about what I got out of the game yesterday. I cheered but it wasn't easy to get up for it.
Real fans cheer for their team. You're a real fan. Schmo says there was no reason to cheer. Yeah...it's tied 10-10 with 6 minutes to go, our defense is on the field and has been playing as well as any defense has this year, and he doesn't think there is a reason to cheer. I saw the defense begging the crowd to make some noise in this game....it never happened. Hell, my wife came in and looked at the TV and questioned why the seats were so empty. Says a lot about his attitude.
I'm not even from Miami and I find myself pissed at Miami fans. You know how hard it is to convince people I'm actually a Marlin fan? It's your team. I don't care what the score is, I'm cheering. The other day I was talking to two Raven and Steeler fans, and yes, I told them their team sucked and my team is better. I don't care about scores or records. If you're not the Super Bowl Champion or the Dolphins, you're a loser.
When the team has lost 7 of the last 8, and 8 of the last 10 home games fans tend to lose their enthusiasm. Sorry but time to get over yourself, Mr. Superfan.
i was at the Steelers game, and it pissed me off how many steelers fans were actually there that day... me and the misses stood literally the entire game... only sitting down during extended breaks... no one behind me said anything, but i wouldn't have cared, we were there, we were cheering and we didn't care if we were the only ones in the whole stadium, we were making as much noise as possible when our team needed us too... thats how i go to the games, and im glad you do the same Gardenhead
I cheered. And no, there wasn't anything to cheer about. It was a boring, lifeless, coma inducing game. The product that has been put on the field at home this year has basically been pathetic. I'm sorry that I don't have to desire to scream like a maniac for a team that is struggling with the Cleveland Browns at home. And even when the crowd did get loud, I can assure you that it made no difference in the outcome of the play. I feel no need to defend my fandom from you. My family and I have spent countless, tens of thousands of dollars on a product that has been largely garbage over the last 15 years. When I sit in the seat I pay for, I don't feel the need to act any other way than I feel like acting at the particular time, except that I don't get invovled ina rguments or fights with people. If it's an exciting game, at a big moment I'll stand and cheer. The best part of the game yesterday was being outside for 3 hours during a picture perfect south Florida day. The game itself was nothing worth getting excited about.
The Dolphins have done little to foster a frothing-at-the-mouth fanbase over the last 10 years. Since 2007 we have won 13 home games and lost 18. Its surprising in this town, the Dolphins have as much support as they do have. The Marlins have had just 2 losing seasons in the last 7 and look at their "support".
Of course the Marlins problems are much deeper than just lack of fan support. But in 2012 hopefully we'll see that support change with a full house most nights.
Miami isn't Philly or cleveland or Boston. We're never going to have rabid fans like that. there are numerous reasons for it, but it is what it is. People should stop worrying about it as it has absolutely no effect on the outcomes of games or the ability to attract talent.
Exactly, if you are there, enjoy yourself and stop worrying about others. There is zero you can do about it, and it most likely will never be any better, so why fret yourself over it ?
If you didn't cheer for the way our defense played yesterday then yes, you are "boring and lifeless". Being a fan is supporting your team through the good and bad. Lion's fans are better than you. Why?
Gardenhead, come to a Phinvaders event next season. 100+ Phins fans in the same section at an away stadium, all jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs. You can bet the team notices that. You would fit in perfectly!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there, big boy. I can't complain about a Dolphin fan telling another Dolphin fan to sit down during the 4th quarter of a tie game?!? I can't accuse the crowd of being lethargic and pathetic without being insulted by you?
I think this goes on in almost every stadium. I think it will become more prevalent as ticket prices (and PSL's) continue to rise. The days of the 22 year old "crazy" fan are coming to an end. I know the Meadowlands has become decidedly more "corporate". When I first got my Jets season tickets, they were the cheapest in the league. I think they were $35 a seat and you didn't have to buy the preseason. This was 1989. The stadium was full of a lot of young, rowdy (and drunk) fans who made a lot of noise. Not anymore.
The your analogy does not fit. The Miami Dolphins don't have PSL's. The tickets are priced quite reasonably. I'm not 22. I wasn't drunk. I wasn't crazed. I was standing, in the 4th quarter of a tie ballgame yelling DEE-FENSE. By the way, the jets are going to get crushed tonight. The difference between Miami and the jets is that we know our QB sucks. You all are deluded enough to think your QB is a quality starter.
I've been to 3 games this season. The home opener vs the Jets, and at Oakland, and the Bengals game at Cincinnati. My voice was gone after all 3 games, and I didn't get it back until 3-4 days later. I'm 37.
No actually DolFans have been very loyal. Did you happen to notice how many empty seats there were in Oakland last week ? The stadium was barely half full. Other stadiums have had similar fan departures, notably in St. Louis where they did the less than half full last year for almost every game. Same happens in New Orleans and Atlanta when they are down. Miami does actually pretty good when we are down (which other than 2008 has been every year since 2002).
In some ways I think fans would rather see Dan Marino lose a 45-38 game than to see one of our bazillion QBs in the last ten years win a 13-10 game. Lately we're not even winning those games, we're losing them. I did a lot of yelling at my TV yesterday. For good and bad. I think I made a little noise every time Hillis was stuffed for no gain. The lack of enthusiasm out of the Miami crowd is obvious over TV. I would LOVE to be at a game in Miami, and I would cheer on the team win lose or draw. Moaning and groaning after bad plays, but ready to chant and support a strong defensive effort. This year after being a fan for nearly 20 years, I went to my first Dolphin game in Green Bay. I was surrounded by Packer fans. I chatted with the guy next to me about Henne's habit of staring down receivers and why the Packers wouldn't put Charles Woodson on Marshall and how crappy the Packers' rookie punter is. I threw my hands up in disgust when the Packers scored a long touchdown. I screamed my head off for Sparano to challenge the spot of Ronnie Brown's 4th down run. I laughed when the Packer fans viciously booed the controversial cover the center penalty. I cheered on Fasano's touchdown and fake out Lambeau Leap. I held my breath as the game went into overtime. I clapped and cheered when the players came on and left the field. I waited most of my life to see the team I loved, and it was an unbelievable day. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they won.
I love it when Patsie fans bash Phins fans for leaving early, and say that they always stay till the end. All I have to do is say 2 words to shut them up: Wildcat game.
Dude, who here cares what you did at the game yesterday ? Did you really think everyone would just give you some magic fairy brownie points because you are Mr. Superfan ? Okay here is a nice fan dancing for you, You feel even more special now ? God where do these guys come from ?
I wasn't trying to offend you. I was unsuccessfully trying to make a point. But you're right. I don't know how things are in Miami. I know in NY that the younger rowdier fan has been priced out of the new stadium and I think this will continue with other stadiums as prices continue to rise. I'm 42 and I stand and yell at games. I wasn't saying you shouldn't have been. No need to be a d!ck.
As a long time Dolphin homer I must admit alot of our fans are not enthusiastic to say the least.Alot of fair weather fans as well as people who show up to support the oposition.The real ones suffer like Cub fans but without alot of company.