Rapaport: Ross sale may depend on 2013 season.

I watched the segment. You watch it again. NOTHING was said about 2013. NOTHING was said about playoffs. Just that there are a lot of factors and that this inserts a bunch of questions.

I'll take this to mean we're at least referring to the same segment though. Which means your recap of what Dee said was inaccurate.

 

Yes they did.

It's time for the people who benefit most from these events to get it done. Ross is under no obligation to provide a venue for anyone other than the Dolphins and Hurricanes.

 

I thought we already knew that, I saw what he said if were referring to the interview with the fat guy..he said Ross hasn't shown him any signs but he can't own the team forever was the context.

 

Yes. That's certainly the same as Mike Dee saying that whether the Dolphins win enough games in 2013 to get to the playoffs will decide whether Ross sells the team.

LMAO.

 

Different interview.

Original poster inaccurately recapped the following interview with Ian Rapoport.

http://t.co/1AYhkJxcJ4

 

Ross could end all this by just paying for the damn renovations himself. It's his team, it's his stadium. He knew what he was getting when he bought it. And if he didn't then he's an idiot. Be like Kraft: "Robert Kraft paid for 100% of the construction costs, a rare instance of an NFL owner privately financing the construction of a stadium." I don't care if it's not my money and it's Ross' money. You bought the damn team, you fix it.

 

there really is nothing but contradictions throughout...Ross needs to make statement so were not in limbo, and there does need to be a plan b if he's committed to the franchise.

 

Question: "Would Steve Ross re-locate, since that's the big question everyone has."

Answer: "(Dee) said while Ross is owner, he would not, but he said whoever acquires the team maybe in 5 or 10 years, getting the stadium deal done would be their number one priority."

Question: "That's interesting, I just heard you say 'while Steve Ross is owner'. Is there anything to read into that?"

Answer: "Well Scott this is clearly ominous when it comes to Steven Ross' long term future with the Dolphins, as an owner. I asked Dee this question specifically, I said 'Would Steve Ross be open to selling?' and he said it's too early to tell. It's very interesting. He also said, you know Steve told me this depends on several things: the business of the team, wins and losses. He told me Ross loves being an owner, he's committed to it, obviously which we saw during the Dolphins massive free agent haul. But without a stadium, it certainly raises a ton of questions. They can still pack the stadium, they can still win, and Ross and Dee still like the future of this organization, but without a new stadium, Scott, it raises a ton of questions."

Yeah. He totally said that if the Dolphins don't get to the playoffs in 2013 then Steve Ross will be selling. Sure.

 

LOL!

Yeah, that's totally on topic. Listen, just because you did a poor job listening to a report and recapping it, and made statements that weren't actually true, no need to take it out on me. Perhaps you should go to night school and learn some dictation.

 

There's nothing to suggest that this decision hinges on 2013 at all. That was your suggestion. Rapoport only just got done explaining that Mike Dee was posing the question over what would happen in 5 or 10 years with a new owner. That sound to you like whether the team goes to the playoffs in 2013 will directly result in Ross' decision to sell the team immediately?

 

Mike Dee is doing quite enough damage on his own here. He doesn't need people attributing things that did not actually come out of his mouth. And nothing Rapoport said suggests that whether the Dolphins win enough games in 2013 will determine whether Ross sells the team in the "very near future". Everything Rapoport said on the contrary suggested more longer term basis.

 

You don't think there's any chance he saw a great way for the city and the team to make money, came up with a no risk deal, and is pissed one dude fu&$ed it up..

We have to remember, the renovation concept came about because of Goodells comments about our facility..Ross's hands were tied it seems, and found a way to create a good deal for both sides..

 

Dude that's a freakin punk *** move on these boards..

 

Perhaps he will. Who really knows? I'm just saying that Mike Dee in no way intimated that to Ian Rapoport. Dee clearly tried to troll and fear monger the fan base by talking about "questions" and using answers like "too early to tell" and also talking about a long term future that may ominously consist of the Dolphins no longer being in South Florida. But he didn't say anything about wins and losses in 2013 guiding this. He didn't suggest anything so short term.

 

As far as I can tell the term "not today" was not even in the report anywhere, and "too early to tell" if anything is consistent with what I've been saying Dee was trying to imply, which is that they have a longer term focus. Whether Dee is lying, I can't say. Maybe he is. I'm just saying that in this conversation with Rapoport it looks clear to me that Dee was specifically trying NOT to give the impression that a decision to sell the team hung in the balance based on 2013. It hangs in the balance based on "questions" but Dee seemed to intentionally draw the questions into a longer term focus.

 

Then I'm not sure how it's relevant to this interview Dee gave with Ian Rapoport. I really don't know what was said in other interviews.

Listen I think we agree in general. I think Mike Dee is a being a prick, trolling his own fan base, fear mongering and trying to get them to come to games for fear that the team could leave town if they don't. I think it's counter-productive to all the things they've been doing this off season between the big splashes in free agency and on the first day of the draft, the re-branding that they've been working on all off season, all the efforts they've made to bring a disenchanted fan base back into the fold. Instead of staying on message and trying to drive up optimism for the team, Mike Dee is injecting pessimism.

He's not trying to do it like a total and complete idiot. He's not saying anything about the short term. He's not saying Ross could sell the team by the end of 2013 or the beginning of 2014 if he doesn't like the team's win/loss column. He's going out of his way to talk about how the team won't move with Steve Ross as the owner. But he's also going out of his way to plant seeds of pessimism and fear, talking about "questions" and "in 5 or 10 years" and "several factors" guiding a potential decision to sell the team to a new owner, a new owner who could very well move the team. He used the term "bleak" to describe the Dolphins' future. All of this is pure fear mongering. You don't have to say any of it. Mike Dee finds himself in the middle of a Dave Chappelle skit on "keepin it real". Just because it's the truth doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to say it in such a detrimental, counter-productive manner at a time when you're supposed to be jazzing up your fan base and encouraging them to buy season tickets.

 

...tie it down

 

At this point, I don't care if he sells.

 

Serpico,
You seem to buying into the media speculative efforts to raise more money by creatively spinning statements to create more interest in their programming, which increases the income from advertisers. Nothing in that interview south of the 5-10 years statement has any bearing on what Dee said - its all a SWAG (old definition: Scientific Wild @$$ guess) by the commentators.

 

It was an outburst of frustration. I can understand and get beyond it. It's not a big deal.

Bigger deal is the fact we have to read all these articles, articles fueled with quotes from the Dolphins' own CEO, that suggest the Dolphins are about to go the way of the St. Louis Cardinals, L.A. Rams, Houston Oilers, Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns. This is supposed to be an off season where everyone is supposed to get back on the bus, feel good about the Dolphins again, etc. Dee should not be using the language he's been using. If reporters want to speculate, he can't stop them. But when you use words like "bleak" to describe the Dolphins' future in Miami, and you go out of your way to talk about how in 5 to 10 years the owner will force the stadium issue or move the team, how the owner is undecided about selling the team, etc...you're going out of your way to inject your own stink of pessimism.

Good luck with the season ticket sales.

 

It is completely naive to believe that Mike Dee is acting on his own. It would be completely naive to believe that Stephen Ross is acting on his own. Dee made this same type of speculation before this was shutdown. These are calculated moves that many cities have seen before.

As much as the Dolphins want to avoid pessimism, they have to answer to the league. They are part of a cartel. A cartel that cuts Ross a huge check every year. The same cartel that will benefit from a subsidized stadium as much as Ross. The same cartel who's members have injected pessimism around their fanbases so Stephen Ross can get bigger revenue-sharing checks. As unfortunate as this is, its part of their business-model.

 

Whatever.

Hopefully our next owner is more like Joe Robbie

 

Could not agree more on all counts.

It's Bush League tactics by Dee IMO and it clearly has taken precedence over the crappy logo rebrand and all the strides they've made to improve the team.
The Organizations Operations side is doing it's best to kill off any momentum in the Fan Base with this angle.

 

Makes no sense.

What, is Ross going to sell when the team is arguably least profitable (after a losing season)?

Don't think they're talking about wins and losses. Don't think even the execs know what they're talking about.

More empty threats?

 

I believe there are two separate issues here and I don’t think either of them gives Stephen Ross a more urgent reason to move or sell the team any time soon.

The 1st is providing a venue for Miami Dolphins and any other tenant(s) there may be. He doesn't need $400M in upgrades to do that. Plenty of us go to games and have no real problem with the facility at all. Shoot, there are some old-school fans that don't even like the idea of having Wi-Fi and Fanvision because it distracts people from engaging in the game and rooting on the team in critical situations.

The 2nd is providing a venue for external events (Super Bowls, BCS games, etc.). I've been doing a little research and am finding that these events are nowhere near as profitable to the host as many believe. Many are net losses. The group that owns Lucas Oil Stadium would have lost $1M if it weren't for the tax rebates they receive. Ross doesn’t receive any of those.

As Desides points out Ross and Dee have intentionally alienated themselves from the state lawmakers while at the same time appearing to be fighting the good fight for Miami-Dade County. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re secretly relieved this measure was defeated in Tallahassee and not by the referendum, regardless of what they say publically. They have created a stronger bond with the locals in a kind of us against them sort of way.

I’m sure they’ll go through the motions and try to convince the rest of the NFL owners to award them one of the SB games but it’s highly unlikely they will succeed.

It doesn’t take a Phd in economics to realize that if the product on the field improves so will Ross’ bottom line. I have to believe he feels better about his team now than at any other time during his ownership. I know I do.

Now the onus lies squarely on the people/groups that supposedly benefit the most from these prime time events to figure out a way to provide/upgrade the facility to host them and I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that was the goal all along.

http://www.ibj.com/cib-expects-to-lose-money-during-super-bowl/PARAMS/article/31969

 

I believe it's just like Stringer says. They're looking to hang a cloud over the head of the entire fan base until the stadium situation gets resolved. There won't be no sunshine until it's done.

Whether that's a smart ploy or not for this area and given the recent 10 year history of this team...remains to be seen.

 

Doesn't the future of the team hinge on evey year? If we go 0-16 next year? I really don't see the reason for all of this back and forth for something that wasn't said but is clearly implied. It's implied that moment the matter of the Dolphins staying in Miami came into question. Dee said nothing to the fact that the team's future hangs in the balance soley based on 2013 yet the fact that we are in limbo, which is right where they want us to be, means that the future of the team hinges on 2013... and 2014 ... and 2015, etc.

Who's to say that whatever happens in 2013 doesn't clinch a decision that will come to fruition 5 years down the line? They've put the poison in our ears. We can each hear the venom of our choosing. Who's wrong? Who's right? This is the aura of uncertainty now enveloping a franchise that just had a very certain productive offseason.

Every one of these threads is deserved if not necessary. We can't do anything right. I truly believe our franchise is cursed. Please let RT be the prince. My lips are ready and willing.

 

The reality is that winning and losing is an afterthought for the major parties involved. The team was awful when Stephen Ross bought them. That didn't affect how much he paid. Attendance is on the margins. The affect on the finances is very small. The Dolphins had $56M in gate receipts last season. If they sold out every single game, that would be $17M in additional revenue. They only keep 60% of that. Which means selling out every game would have made Stephen Ross an additional $10M. That $10M isn't going to keep him awake. He already pays $20M per year in interest alone on the renovations Huizenga did. He has about $200M in principle debt on those renovations that are dragging down the team's finances. What will keep Stephen Ross awake is 31 of his business partners calling him and telling him to get his act together and get some subsidies, which will benefit them all. Stephen Ross paid what he did for the team not because of the stadium. Not because of gate receipts. He paid that much because thats the cost of admission to join a cartel that cuts very hefty checks every year.

I seriously doubt Stephen Ross wants to do any of this. From what I gather, he cares about how he is viewed, and what his legacy will be. Being the next Zigyi Wilf is not what he wants. Unfortunately for Ross, this is an issue that affects his cartel as a whole. He has to be a team player.

 

Mike Dee is coming off almost as badly as David Samson here. Not a good look.