and yet, after 30 plus years of having a season ticket, i asked for an upgrade, and they told me they couldnt do it..go figure!
I just don't buy that. Some would go because of that but there are some fans that would stop going because of a roof as well. Count me in that group. I Hate domes. We never had problems selling out the Orange Bowl. Look no further than the economy for this years troubles and the skyrocketing prices of attending games for the avg. Joe over the past decade or so. It just isn't a conceivable expense for many anymore, even when the economy was doing fine. Pair those economic problems with the fact that the born and bread South Floridians continue to flee S. Florida with influxes of people from other states or countries taking their place and you've got an even bigger problem. Considering all this, the Phins do just fine.
Make it retractable, and only close it with a torrential rain storm....not sunny and hot...not light rain/Sun Shower (like the SD game) thats our advantage. No fixed Dome crap! Actually, I have said it before, I will say it again.....sell this stadium to the Marlins, let them have it for Baseball only.....and build a new proper and better (OB like) retractable roof Football only stadium for Dolphins.
I'm with you on this. I never liked Dolphins stadium from day 1. Sterile and unimaginative design. Poor stands design limiting crowd impact on the game. Having said that, with Wayne H. having just put so much money into the stadium and the fact that it's not designed well for baseball either, I just don't see it happening. Were stuck with the concrete condo.
I think the people who would go if we had a roof would FAR outnumber those who would refuse to go if we added one. Just my opinion though.
Yes...we sold out the Orange Bowl back in the day and yes it was just as hot then as it is now. BUT, and this is a freaking monster BUT...people couldn't stay in the comfort of their own homes, in the ac, with a 60" plasma watching the game in HD in their underwear. the only way to really enjoy the phins back then was to go....the gap between the different experiences (going to the game vs. staying home to watch it) has lessened over time. they want to fill that stadium? make it more comfortable for the fans. SCREW the heat advantage...i'd rather have a packed house going nuts in the ac and lose our "heat advantage", then a half empty stadium because it's miserable out. OR build the soccer style stadium where the roof covers only the stands but leaves the field open.
Well, I don't believe you can find any team that sells out week in and week out when they are losing constantly. We have had the #2, #9,#1 pick in three of the last 4 years, we've won 18 games or so in 4 years, who is going to dig deeply into their pockets and budgets to come out and see that? And I do agree, we lost alot when we moved out of the Orange Bowl.
I'd love to see the team playing in their own stadium, not a multipurpose field that they share with a baseball team and college football team. Makes us look amateurish out there.
Its not the fans fault, i used to think it was but not anymore. We have been a very patient fan base, been thru more turmoil, turnover and adversity then 99% of the league. The stadium does not allow the fans to have the impact they wanna have. Once the team gets turned around and can capitolize on some serious momentum swings that stadium will be packed. we are so ready to pounce. It was disheartening to hear some of the players talk about how uninspiring it is for them sometimes when they walk out of the tunnel and see the all the orange seats...Well if they want that to change, then they have to step up when the oppurtunity, rhythm and momentum presents itself.
The heat, the expensive parking, the lack of wins, the lack of football fans in south florida. It could be many things. I've been a season ticket holder for 4 years and my seats are in the 400's but I always manage to head down and sit with the regular's at the 100 level with no prob every game. Lots of empty seats.. Also, whenever my friends join me to the game they have NO problem getting a ticket for like $10 - 15 bucks ($30-40 value) from desperate scalpers looking to make a buck! it's pretty bad.. It's also really sad when we try and get loud while we're on defense because I know the opposing team is thinking, "That's it?". And if it's a 4th quarter come back? Forget about it! Half the fans are long gone by then..
If I lived anywhere within a four hour drive of the stadium I would be at every home game. But I don't so I have to go to sports bars and hopr for replays on NFL network or whatever way, Thank the spirits for thephins.com, I can to "see" the games. The economy is affecting EVERY franchise right now. From empty seats to millions in corporate sponsorships going bye bye, the NFL is hurting right now. What helps is the limited # of games for the fans to buy tickets too, at least it's not for 80+ games like basketball and baseball.
I'm not sure just how accurate this is but I remember that when Wayne started talking about improvements he talked about a roof but was told by the NFL that they would not approve it so it was then dropped. I believe Wayne really wanted to do it for us. I may be wrong about this but I don't think so.
Pisses me off every week. Sometimes the opposing team's "defense" chants are louder than ours. Pathetic. Get off your asses and come to the games (if you can afford it, otherwise, understandable obviously). This is YOUR team!
Fan attendance is a joke. It is embarrassing seeing how empty the stadium is on Sundays and how quiet the crowd often is. This was a problem before the financial crisis and when Miami was good they struggled to sell out.
On an Off topic note, if that girl in the match.com ad here would just open her mouth and show a little cleavage...
Didn't they have trouble selling out their playoff game against the Ravens? If you have trouble selling out a playoff game it isn't the team or a financial crisis it is bad fan support and that is one thing that has been a constant for a while now.
you guys also have to consider that south florida is made up of mostly outsides who have no ties to the team at all.
Actually they sent out memos to season ticket holders that they would not be gauranteed their seats for the playoff games unless they bought a complete package, which meant shelling out for 3 games, for every seat. All to be paid ahead and all with a price increase. Season ticket holders were very pissed off about that, including myself. I bought my ticket for that game at the last minute, and refused to send them that much cash upfront.
Fans have to trust their team before they show, even against the ravens we fans knew that team was'nt gonna do anything in the playoffs. Its also about respecting their style of play, i think we have our identity in place, once we start winning, things will be different because we know what were gonna get, we want a fighting smash mouth team thats tough.
Fans should support their team no matter what. I don't care if the Dolphins go 0-16 and make zero offseason improvements; I'll be right back at the games in September. Fair weather fans piss me off, and unfortunately, they're all over South Florida. That's one thing that I truly admire about New York, Philadelphia, and I hate to say it but, Boston fans.
I remember the radio/tv stations buying tickets to avoid the blackouts back when they were in the OB too. My guess is that there is a hardcore group of fans that numbers between 40k - 50k that are season ticket holders and/or weekly attendees. Then you probably have a group of maybe 10k that go when economic circumstances allow. The rest are the bandwagoners.
Very close! If the Stadium held 70,000 seats it would be sold out contantly on game days........when they're good. Season ticket sales we up above 60,000 two seasons ago. Almost all teams suffer fan loss when they stink. With the exception of teams like the Skins, Bronco's, GB, and a few more. When the Dolphins were really good in the 70's that stadium was packed solid without having to worry about TV stations buying up seats. Now if the NFL would not lift or extend blackouts or let TV stations buy up remaining seats, those seats would fill up even if the team was just good. I know thats a pipe dream but imo it would solve the empty seat problems .....
Most, if not all those fans, were born in the cities they reside. South Florida is a melting pot. That IMO is the reason for so many bandwagoners in this area. Remember in '97 and '03 when this town was filled with Marlins fans? Many (not all) bailed faster than Usain Bolt in the Olympics
Just because a fan doesn't attend home games doesn't mean they don't fully support their team. I personally would love to own season tickets with the economy the way it currently is and my own personal financial distractions I just can't afford it. Hopefully soon things will get better and I can be there.
CR you hit the nail on the head. I can add one more, the Dolphins have won just 6 home games in the last 2 years + 3 games I believe. That discourages people too.
If you thought the downturn in season tickets was bad this year, just wait until next year. It will drop at least another 8,000 to 10,000. And it won't just be the Miami Dolphins that see that kind of a downturn, it will be league wide.