This is why I like Stephen Ross, he may not always make the right move but his decision making is in the right place. He's opened his wallet to pay $$$ bonuses, offered a partnership to improve Joe Robbie instead of merely forcing it down the public's pocket, he's offered to pay for the referendum on the improvements.
slowly, but surely, fans are starting to run out of useless issues to complain about. All that's really left now is for Philbin and Tannehill to put it together and start winning games.
I am not sure exactly when this statement by Dee was made. In the Miami Herald this morning, it was reported that a Dolphins spokesman was unwilling to commit to the Dolphins covering the cost of the election. This was as of yesterday. If the statement from Dee was today, that obviously would be a change of position by the Dolphins since the original comment was made by this Dolphins spokesman. It should also be noted that there is a state law in Florida, passed in the 1980's, which prohibits private entities from funding elections. So it just might be a move by the organization to build good will by stating they are willing to pay for the election, while at the same time knowing that they won't have to pay for it, because they are prohibited by state law from doing so. Local politicians think the Dolphins should pay for the election. County Mayor Gimenez has found a loophole which might require the Dolphins to pay for the election. In 1992, the pari-mutual industry in Miami was forced to pay for elections related to expanding gambling. Mayor Gimenez wants to use this loophole to force the Dolphins to pay for the election. The fact is that the Dolphins never showed any interest in paying for the election until local politicians expressed concern about taxpayers having to pay the three to five million dollars this election will cost. For an owner who has over four and a half billion dollars, three to five million dollars is like a couple of dollars to the average American. It is a completely private stadium, so Ross should pay for an election and him doing so, if the state allows it, only makes sense. It certainly doesn't mean that it makes him a great guy. He is a rich owner who wants to improve his stadium, so he can make more money. It is as simple as that.
When are the plans scheduled to do the upgrade? Seems like its getting pretty late in the year to start a major remodel dont it? Or is it just my impatience?
Exactly. This is a waste of his money. Money he could put forth in getting the stadium done. I just don't understand why he doesn't take out a loan for what he wants the public to pay ? If he doesn't have the cash then take out a loan. Its what every other private business owner does when they want to upgrade a privately owned business.
No it's absolutely not what every other business owner does. The overwhelming majority of NFL owners receive public money.
Really ? He hasn't shown me much yet. He overpaid for the team & stadium because he "just had to have it". If he had paid the true value of the team instead of too much, then he'd have the money to do it. That is loss, not a win. He screwed up the Sparano-Harbaugh California trip, and it cost him a year of a lame duck coach & staff, that he had to pay an extra year (or two because he was forced to extend them), when he should have fired him before going to CA. Everyone knew Sparano had ZERO chance to win in 2011. Again that's a loss. He then displayed deplorable judgement on a number of PR issues. Again losses every time. The record while under his ownership is a losing record. Another loss. The season ticket base has plummeted under his ownership. More losing. I haven't said he hasn't tried, I just think you need to truly examine his ownership without the blind homerism, before declaring this guy a winner, because so far he shown himself to be anything other than that.
Other NFL owners don't have to deal with a tax/fan base that feels as if its been had for $ 600 million for the Marlins Park, and $ 500 million for the Adrienne Arsht Center in the last 6 or 7 years and has been told they have to have county cutbacks in police & fire protection, has had libraries closed, has had to lay of county & school employees, has had court fees, park fees, highway tolls all dramatically increased (in several cases doubled) and then see a BILLIONAIRE asking for a free handout so his private business can make even more money than he makes now. Dude this will fail miserably......the vote will be somewhere in the 75/25 range, and I believe I am being generous in that.
When it comes to investing in real estate, you are correct, Ross has been a financial winner. As an NFL owner, his record so far leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps he will turn it around as an NFL, but Wayne Huizenga has been a winner throughout his private enterprise life and even when he was the owner of the Marlins. Yet he never was able to bring that success to the NFL as the owner of the Dolphins. Just because Ross has made a lot of money in the real estate business doesn't mean he knows what it takes to build a successful football organization. Ross is an excellent businessman, but this has nothing to do with his ability to be a winner in the NFL. Right now you have to question his ability as an NFL owner based on the teams lack of success under his ownership. There have been plenty of rich and successful businessmen over the years who have owned NFL franchises, who also happened to be lousy NFL owners. I think the next few years will more clearly show what type of NFL owner Ross will turn out to be. I hope he can become one of the best owners in the NFL, but right now we can only judge him based on what he has done since he became the majority owner of the team. Right now you would have to rate him with a great big,"needs to improve".
Just saying, Wayne Huyzenga paid $300 million for stadium renovations in 06' out of his own pocket. Steven Ross' net worth, is almost double what Waynes was. Hey Ross, open the wallet and get it done.
Actually many of them are. Gone are the days of Philanthropy and the rich understanding because of their wealth they have a responsibility towards their fellow man and making this world a better place for all. That went out when people stopped believing in God, hell and the 10 commandments. Today there is no moral compass to tell you when enough is enough, and that greed is not okay. There used to be John D. Rockefellers, Henry Flaglers, DuPont Family, Mellon Family, Woolworths, Fords, that all understood that giving back to make the world a better place was important for the future of not only our country but the whole world. These type of people are few and far between nowadays. Buffett and Gates are the only two I can really think of......
I don't know where this "We judge owners by how many wins" they accumulate crap. Most owners would kill to be in the Jets, Redskins, Cowboys places regardless of wins. This...owners are judged by wins crap is new to me. I've never heard of Tom Benson or Steve Bisciotti having any pull in owners circles. Hell, Steve Ross is already in play for the 50 year and he's been an owner what....2 years. Aside from the "Old Guard"...MONEY...is what makes you a good owner in the NFL, money is what gives you POWER and influence. Every team gets good and eventually gets bad and good again.....but those power players never change. Why is that? Money. Plain and simple. Jerry Jones and Snyder's power has very little to do with how many wins they accumulate.
Stephen Ross has been unfairly criticized by some Dolphin fans since he's become the owner. Much of the hate is just purely false accusations. Some of them being to the guy simply trying anything and everything possible to promote his team. The Harbaugh "debacle" just proves what a smart guy he really is and how he has a knack for spotting talent. Ya know, being that Jim Harbaugh is arguably the best coach in the NFL only two years into his NFL career. In hindsight Ross looks like a genius for putting the full court press on. And the fact that he was even close to getting Harbaugh when SF is right down the road from Stanford speaks volumes. It should''ve never even been close...but it was.
This isn't about making money in the NFL. A two year old child could make money if he or she was an NFL owner. The NFL is a money tree for NFL owners. The lousy owners I refer to are the owners who buy a team only to make money and have little or no interest in building a successful football team on the field. I am not stating that Ross doesn't have the desire to build a winning organization. I am merely pointing out that in his four years as the majority owner of the Dolphins, the team has yet to have a season where they have won more games than they have lost. Perhaps Ross will end up being a very successful owner in the NFL, but to me that is judged by wins and losses and not by how much more money he will end up putting in his bank account when he eventually sells the team. If it was only about the money an owner makes on the team, Huzeinga would appear to be one of the most successful owners in the history of the NFL, and we all know that isn't true.
What's your point here? Are you suggesting that Ross wouldn't be able to pay for the renovations to his privately built/owned stadium? My point is that he most certainly could handle the burden of shouldering the cost himself. Lets be realistic, he does own one of the country's largest commercial construction companies in the US, he is perfectly situated to perform the renovations on his own through his own companies. In fact, they could have already started the renovations this offseason, but instead are taking the long route of pandering to the city. Ross would benefit financially in the end if he used his own money, he's just trying to get free taxpayer money, like a shrewd business man should.
Ross isn't in play for SB 50. The South Florida area is in play for SB 50. If Ross owned a team in the northeast, it is doubtful the NFL owners would have any interest in playing the 50th SB game in his stadium. The fact is that 10 SB's have previously been played in South Florida. Ross was the owner of the Dolphins for exactly zero SB's to this date. The fact is the NFL comes to South Florida for the SB's because of the the weather and the numerous hotels in the area. Ross wants to upgrade the stadium, which might help in getting another SB, but the fact is that a SB in South Florida will still only come about every five years or so if these improvements are made to the stadium. Ross on the other hand will reap the benefits to his pocketbook each and every year, SB or no SB. I have no problem with him making money or wanting to improve the stadium. I just think that your belief that Ross is somehow responsible for the NFL looking at South Florida as a possible site for SB 50 is very short sighted. The reality is that if the game is played in Miami, it will be because the voters and the politicians agreed to fund much of the stadium renovations. If this doesn't happen, the SB will not be played in South Florida and your whole argument regarding the NFL and Ross having power and influence in the league will go out the window.
You think if Ross wasn't the owner who has the money to make the upgrades to the stadium this would even be entertained? Miami is basically being labeled the second rate stadium...but are still in it, because they know Ross can deliver. That speaks to a lot about your owner. This is also S. Florida's chance to remain "in play" as you describe it. If you fail to invest in S. Florida it will simply be taken out of consideration for future venues. Florida is a big state. Don't think you are untouchable. It think this statement pretty much deads the issue. If S. Florida has so many danged hotels then the hotel referendum should have no issues paying for the stadium. And where did we come to the conclusion that an owner isn't supposed to make money off of the team? You want your owner to make money. Your owner breaking even or not making money is a BAD THING! I don't even know what you are trying to say right here. Just seems to be argumentative at this point.
While that makes sense in a traditional ownership of assets model, in a symbiotic relationship between an NFL Franchise and City/State, I think it is different. Ross stadium directly benefits the City/State as far as revenue and jobs. To think that the stadium belongs just to Ross in a vacuum is a bit short sighted as that stadium was there before Ross and will likely be there after he is gone. The stadium, IMHO belongs to the city of Miami and the fans of the Miami Dolphins. I don't even think he'd be allowed to tear it down if he so chose.
The stadium belongs to Ross, he bought it. There's nothing short sighted about that. If I go to laspadas subs in Davie, and I have use of their facilities and enjoy their product, doesn't mean laspadas belongs to Davie, it belongs to the people who pay to keep the store open. Same thing applies to Sun LIfe Stadium (which Ross is paid to call it that). The stadium is his and he uses it for many more things than football, Hell, I saw Cirqu a couple weeks ago there and it was in the parking lot, which had $25 parking. Any renovations to the stadium will allow Ross to attract even more events than he does now, thereby making more money. Ross needs to stop being cheep and pony up a good portion, if not all, of the money for any renovations.
