Latest on Dolphins' Pitch for SunLife Renovations

I don't want to tease myself thinking about that. The Robert Kraft of NBA owners.

That franchise is the pinnacle of competence and consistency. It really does start at the top.

To think they're just 2 miles away from the Marlins. Might as well be the moon.

 

Alcohol helps I've herd...

 

Yeah, I saw that after I posted. It was hard not to read ahead at the time because the thread was moving fast and I came in after work.

 

Are you saying that they will nix moving the lower bowl seats closer b/c it is so cost prohibitive? I'd like to see that Orange bowl advantage heat/sound at home games like KC has. Thanks for the knowledge btw.

 

There's a lot of people that feel the same, especially former cane/dolphin players, fans, boosters, execs from both programs, past execs, wish they could publicly trade part ownership of a new ob2 venture, bet they would raise a lot of money for it.

 

Lol..damn you Sec....that was my thought process the whole time..

So were getting a canopy, a few rows at the bottom, 4 big flat screens, aqua seats, and some palm trees?..and these pics are a bit misleading?

 

No kidding, I did not know that. I did notice that it looked a little brighter than our regular MNF/SNF games.

 

But its still moving at least 10 rows of seating from the upper deck to the lower bowl. If done correctly the canopy could be the biggest difference maker though. Take a look at that proposed stadium that was drawn up for the canes. The one we've seen here recently. It shows how the sound waves will bounce off the roof back onto the field. I'm no expert on that matter but I can see it working for sure. Especially with a metal based structure.

The one thing that bothers me about the canopy doing that is it's shape. Everything is to squared off and the back looks, to me, like it's left open...

 

Every little bit will help, and that's exciting in itself, drainage would be the reason to leave the canopy open in the back I would think.

 

Precisely the reason I wear those old timey pajamas with the *** flap.

 

Lol..nice buddy..

I swear man, Why are some people cursing Ross? Check this quote out tell me what ya think.

"bought this team because I love this town. I went to high school here and built much of my business here," said Ross. "Like most Miamians, I believe no other community in America represents a better destination for blockbuster events. My goal is to secure the future of Miami-Dade and the Dolphins so we can remain a global competitor for sports and entertainment for at least another 25 years. That's why I'm willing to make the initial and most substantial investment in this project."

What else do we want this guy to do??

Also for you, Section, or anyone who knows how this could work if their talking about moving concrete, what does this mean.

"The proposed modernizations for Sun Life Stadium will also return the stadium to the original configurations that were compromised to accommodate baseball, giving fans a much improved football experience with better sightlines from every seat in the house. Other major upgrades include: "

Find a happy place.. this is gonna drive me nuts.

 

"Our intention is to make Sun Life Stadium a world-class facility that is competition-ready for Super Bowls, college football championships, and global soccer events, as well as providing a much better environment to watch the Dolphins, Hurricanes and Orange Bowl every year," Ross said. "I think our planned modernization will maintain the special outdoor flavor of Miami, while giving us the look of the best stadiums around the world."

Notice how they always talk about creating a better environment for watching the dolphins and Canes..

Gives me a bit of satisfaction after all these years that they understand that there really is a problem and their aware of it..just would like some more details as to how their going do that, literally..

There's a picture on the official site that also shows the U everywhere in the new proposal, it's looks cool, and im sure cane fans/ boosters/ former players are desperate as well, but, it also depresses the hell out of me...their so close to getting it.

 

How long should this take?

 

Beats me. I've defended the guy. I think he started with a bum deal having Parcells calling shots. But Ross' instincts are solid, even if his understanding of the way things are done in the NFL needs work. Yeah, he talked to Harbaugh with Sparano on payroll...so what? It didn't keep us from getting him because he wasn't leaving CA for nothing and what he did is fairly common outside of the NFL. I think people focus on a rookie mistake instead of realizing he not only recognized Harbaugh's potential but flew his happy *** across country to try and get him. He's not cheap and he's not afraid to think outside the box, even if the results are no change, like celebrity owners.

I dunno, I just don't see the negatives of having an owner that isn't afraid to spend, prefers to stay out of the football stuff and likes trying to improve every other part of the team. People who complain about Ross, are the same people who hate change and just want football to always be exactly like it was in the 60s & 70s.

 

That's a pretty solid deal you guys are getting there. Especially if you can get Miami to tie in a guarantee to stay for so many years.

Think of it this way. I live in Hamilton, Ontario. All we have is a CFL team and they are in the process of spending $140 million (99.99% government funded) to build this albatross:

 

the nfl should build their own stadiums

 

The fact that no one has really purposely took advantage of having no rules when it comes to crowd noise is quite I indicting on the lack of vision by the new owners who have built relatively new stadiums..

If the NFL built the stadiums they would have to cookie cutter them..

Paul Allen accidentally stumbled into what the impact is of stands being intimate and close to the players...result..12th man phenomenon..

 

All the money they generate, they should build them themselves. There is no reason the citys should be expected to foot that bill.

 

Well, Ross is willing to spend the majority to renovate, and that in turn will make this city a lot of money, maybe a little help isn't to much to ask..

 

Well there a naive world view lol

Miami's gotten off pretty light when it comes to stadium costs for the Dolphins over the years compared to most cities. Played in an existing Orange Bowl when the franchise started. Joe Robbie built the current stadium without governement cash I do believe and Wayne spent millions in upgrades multiple times (not sure how much he got in government cash..if any). And now you have Ross looking at picking up roughly half the cost + any overages. Miami's gotten off light.

 

The NFL will lend Onwers money to build a stadium. Not sure about renovations but Robert Kraft was the first one to use the loan system that the NFL has.

The stadium makes individual owners to much money so the NFL won't build them for the teams

 

Money and political issues aside, I'm glad to see that Ross has figured out that something had to be done about the Sun's Anvil. Putting an awning over those North side upper deck seats will do more to get people back to the stadium than any other single improvement.

 

Phin addicts posted this render on FB
http://pics.lockerz.com/s/276881245

 

This has me both excited and very concerned.

 

Ross may not be the best tactical owner when dealing w/ the football side of things, though I think there is evidence that he is learning after some really big PR gaffs early on.

BUT, for anyone to say he's not dedicated to the community (hello, he bought back tickets so everyone could watch the games with half-filled stadium on TV - who does that all the time besides Ross?) is an insult. I think he's more than willing to do whatever it takes to make the gameday experience the best for fans. While that also entails building a winning team (he's trying, whether we like the way he's trying or not), it also means a stadium upgrade in this case. It's easier to control the stadium side of things, and he's trying, and making a pretty darn big investment in doing so too.

Its' up to the SoFla community to decide how else it wants to help the team w/ it's own tax dollars/credits/bed taxes, etc. and that's not for someone like me - an Upstate NYer - to decide. But I think it's fair to say that Ross is certainly trying to do his part.

 

ugh. 18 feet is not close to where it should be, but 18 feet preserves the possibility of hosting Soccer games, so that's why they are going with 18 feet.

 

I just don;t see how they will be able to justify a proper reconstruction of the lower bowl. If Tax Dollars are used of course.

 

guys...do remember that Papa Robbie screwed any and everybody that worked in construction down here while building JRS, so with a County project, at least all the little people won;t get screwed.

There are benefits to having public money build this.

 

Now our colors are changing too?

WTF?
Ridiculous.

Just change the mascot as well since their going for the complete identity change.

 

The canopy looks like it stops just short of coming to the edge the field. So there will have to be a slight pitch/slope towards the outside of the stadium. Otherwise, the people in rows 1 thru 8 would get drenched from the run off. Thats also pretty high up so if there is runoff it could actually pelt the people pretty good. The canopy needs to extend out past the outside perimeter of the stadium. Enough so water does not get in from roof drainage and simple rain storms.

If I were them, I would close it in completely but that means installing spot coolers which would raise the power bills big time

 

I agree.
Here we go again letting the prospect of hosting another sport mess with the integrity of the Dolphins football stadium.
This was what screwed up the original layout they are proposing to change.

If they really aren't going to fix that problem then just save all the money they would incur moving the lower level at all.
I mean why do it if you're really not fully addressing the issue.

Just my take.

 

Close what in completely?
Are you advocating a dome?

That goes against everything that is S. FL.
The canopy is a perfect middle ground.
I'm sure engineers can model a pitch and drainage system that will keep everyone dry from runoff.

That said with S. FL. rain capable of moving sideways at times no canopy will keep the crowd completely dry at all times.
This is football though right?

 

30 feet.

 

proper reconstruction involves cutting concrete and re-pouring what would be somewhere between 20 to 30% of the lower bowl sidelines. There is no way that Ross can justify that to the county. It's cosmetic, and not necessary.

This is not a major construction project, it is a renovation.