Dolphins CEO Mike Dee on Thursday said that the team “hasn’t decided if it will take advantage of the NFL’s new sellout policy, which allows teams to declare a sellout with as little as 85 percent of the stadium’s non-premium seats filled to capacity,” according to Ben Volin of the PALM BEACH POST. But Dee “made one thing clear” -- the Dolphins “once again will do what it takes to ensure that no home games will be blacked out in South Florida in 2012.” Dee said that the Dolphins “hope to sell out all eight home games ‘organically,’ but also want to make sure the games are aired in local homes and bars.” The team and its top sponsors last year bought their “own tickets to prevent blackouts in five of eight home games, though for one-third of their face value.” Attendance figures show that the Dolphins were “second-lowest in the NFL in percentage of stadium capacity filled last year, at 81 percent.” Dee declined to say “how many season tickets the Dolphins have sold for 2012 -- it is believed to be in the 30,000s or low 40,000s -- but said the team has sold 6,000 new season tickets since the NFL Draft in late April” (PALM BEACH POST, 7/13). In Miami, Barry Jackson noted Dee “stopped short of saying every game would definitely be on local TV.” Dee said every season "brings a different dynamic" but the team will "work tirelessly" in its marketing efforts to try to make it happen (MIAMIHERALD.com, 7/12).
MAKING A SPLASH: The PALM BEACH POST's Volin reported the Dolphins are “already well into discussions with the league about a fresh new look for next season.” A league source said that the team and the NFL “have been trading emails for several weeks, with various mock-ups of a new Dolphins logo being designed and tweaked by the two sides.” Dee on Thursday said, “It’s not 100 percent that we’re going to make a change.” But he added that the team “has gotten feedback from the fans and is looking to ‘freshen up’ the logo, which has been in its current form since 1997.” The Dolphins “tweaked the original 1966 logo significantly in 1997 but kept many of the traditional elements.” Dee said that the team is “looking to do the same this time.” The Dolphins have “until November to submit a new logo to the league office for the 2013 season.” Dee: “It’s not going to be like when Tampa Bay changed from orange to pewter gray” (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 7/12).
