Fish Out Of Water: Dolphins Still Trying To Rebuild Fan Base
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Dolphins Exec Says Team's No-Blackout
Streak Likely Could End This Fall |
The Dolphins “find themselves shoring up a fan base,” as season-ticket sales have fallen to around 50,000 “just two seasons after [they] sold a team-record 61,121,” according to a front-page piece by Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. The Dolphins lost their season-opener to the Jets 20-14 yesterday, and as of Saturday, fans “could still buy tickets” for the game, which is against the Dolphins’ “most hated rival.” The team has not failed to sell out a home game since ’98, but Dolphins President & COO Bryan Wiedmeier “acknowledged that the no-blackout streak could very well end this fall.” Dolphins Senior Dir of Marketing & Communications George Torres: “When you’re 1-15 last year, and the economy’s not great, you are going to get some fans who don’t want to re-up until they believe the team is turned around.” Beasley noted besides the economy, the Dolphins “must deal with an at-times apathetic fan base in an area that offers entertainment options not available in cold-weather cities.” Univ. of Miami sports marketing professor Patrick Walsh said that while the NFL “is a little more recession-proof than the other professional leagues, the bleak economy and recent string of bad teams still has had an impact.” Walsh: “They’re trying to do what they need to do, which is set a new image.” However, Beasley reported the Dolphins right now “have no discernible image.” Outside of RB Ricky Williams, “every star player, or near star, is either on another team or has retired.” Billboards in the South Florida market “advertising a new beginning are conspicuously devoid of any photos of the current players” (MIAMI HERALD, 9/7). In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay noted the team has sold “about 5,000 new season tickets” this year, but some fans “couldn’t stomach the sticker shock when their club seat contracts expired and they were faced with increases to offset [Dolphin Stadium’s] $250[M] renovation” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/7).
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