Dolphins Owners Stephen Ross on Thursday addressed the media during the team's first day of training camp, saying that he told his players he "will be around a lot more this year" and is "happy with the organization’s direction," according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. When asked if he is anxious to see a return on his $2B investment in the club, Ross said, "You're goddamn right." Ross "turned up the heat on an already charged organization Thursday, saying he’s 'expecting' this Dolphins team to reach the postseason." Ross added if those expectations are not met, he would "be disappointed." Beasley notes the Dolphins "have not had a winning season" since '08 and have "struggled to reach a new generation of sports fans." The Heat’s following "has soared while the Dolphins’ has waned." Yet Ross "believes that the tide could be turning back." Season-ticket sales are "still far" from an all-time high, but they are the "strongest they’ve been" since '10. Ross said, “Just look at our sales and how the fans are responding to that, and the excitement. The Heat is a different organization now that LeBron James isn’t there. I think the Dolphins are a team that are capturing the imagination of the whole fan base here in South Florida." Meanwhile, Ross noted that the $425M renovations to Sun Life Stadium are “right on schedule and pretty close to budget” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/31). In West Palm Beach, Andrew Abramson noted when the stadium renovations are complete prior to the '16 season, Ross "believes it will be the best in the league -- and Super Bowls will return to Miami." He said, “When you see what we’ve done, I don’t think there’s a stadium in the country that really could compete with us. It’s going to be state of the art" (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 7/30).
INCREASED INVOLVEMENT: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde notes Ross for the past four years has "patiently supported employees, patiently shelled out record millions, patiently received no results in return and patiently asked for another helping of the same." So in many ways, Thursday's "shot across the bow by Ross was a loud statement of the obvious." It "sets the bar where it should be" and "tells everyone involved that the playoffs are a must or change is coming." No NFL owner "has invested more than Ross has in the Dolphins over the past six years." He "paid a record price for the team" ($1.1B), privately financed a stadium rebuild ($425M) and has "led the league in free-agent spending in three of the past four offseasons." Yet he has "no playoff appearances and a losing record in his six years as owner (43-53)." So it is "probably a natural progression that he's more involved than in previous years" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/31).
