The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12728747/miami-dolphins-sell-all-32-living-rooms-renovated-stadium

$75,000.... geesh. My living room is just fine.

not surprizing .. those were always going to be hot sellers .. it's miami .. and we have tons of rich people here

great so those 32 rooms with maximum of 128 fans will take up a huge chunk of prime lower bowl real estate.  None of these 128 fans will make as much noise as the 600 fans that could have fit in that space in regular chairs.

I'm betting this becomes a league-wide laughing stock by season's end.

How many of these are going to get turned in on taxes as business expenses?

The team is in business to make money. Can't fault them for this if there is a market for it! Good business move

Doubt that will happen. If anything other teams will look to copy this

I bet those 128 seats will generate 10x the revenue the 600 fans would.  You could fit more people on a 747 if you convert 1st class to coach.  It is a business,  Ross wantss maximize revenue and this a fair way to do it.  What is not a fair way to do it is 4 taxpayers to pay 4 the stadium

thing is, I don't care about Ross's money.  I understand why he'd want to do that, but as a fan, for the team, this is terrible.  Ross would make more money if he could sell out the stadium.  Ross would sell out the stadium if they won more games.  They would win more games if homefield advantage meant anything.

If your stadium sounds like a library because snooty rich assholes are reclining in their lazy boys and watching the game on their personal 32" flatscreen IN THE STADIUM, where's the homefield advantage?

And tons of poor people with a very small middle.

It's not Ross's money he is taking off these suits and putting in his own pocket to build his bank account. It's the money that comes in off stuff like this the organization runs of of, it's how he makes money here with suits and re-invests it into player like Suh. He isn't looking to make money for himself, he is looking to make money to re-invest into the team. This is a business and it can't be a financial loser or have a very small investment on return.

Remember NFL football is a business first and foremost....for EVERY team!

Ross is rebuilding this stadium with money out of his own pocket and no tax dollars, he can build it anyway he wants. And the way he is doing it make sense financially for this franchise moving forward

I'm just happy for one that these seats were popular. Nothing could have been worse than watching on TV and seeing them empty.

An extra 500 fans screaming at home games would undoubtedly be the difference betweeen going 6 and 10 vs winning the super bowl

I agree with Hoodie.  Better to have a bunch of aristocrats paying out the nose to watch the game for two quarters and then leave, than to have the city or county spending millions of taxpayer dollars on the renovation.

Besides, Brian, if the stadium isn't being filled as it is, I don't see much weight behind your argument.  It's not like there are more fans than seats now.

We haven't given up on state money yet. I support the use of state money #1 because it will improve the stadium in Miami #2 it will also go towards our new stadium in Orlando.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-senators-seek-to-revive-funding-for-orlando-soccer-stadium-20150422-post.html

I guess, from my perspective, if I'm one of those 500 people who got displaced after being a season ticket holder for 15 years and moving my seats year after year to get into this desired location, and then to have my seats just removed...?  I'd be a bit annoyed.

You're still better off than if you were a Marlins season ticket holder and the team moved to an entirely new stadium.
Season tickets aren't like owning real estate; the only way one could reasonably expect to be completely unaffected is if the Dolphins stayed in the same stadium with no upgrades.

(And I have another bit of bad news for you: if you're a season ticket holder and you expect the prices to stay the same after these upgrades are complete, you're in for some serious disappointment.)

Disagree.  They move to a new stadium but none are sold yet, so I can get a similar seat to what I had.  In this case, they removed my seats forcibly, assigned them to someone else, and any "similar" seats are already occupied by others.  Pretty terrible look for those 600 people.

Would the fans rather have not gotten an upgraded stadium and the team possibly moved which means not going to any games ever again? Or having their seats moved and still having a team?

Because if the stadium wasn't fixed by Ross paying 100% and they state wasn't going to build one for the team, this team would have been sold and most likely moved over the course of the next 5-10 years. Just sayin

So if 600 people got moved out of their seats, sucks for them but oh well. Alternative could have been much worse

you're talking like it was impossible to renovate the stadium without adding foofy living room bullshit in the lower bowl.  That's delusional.  It speaks to the point of the REAL purpose of the renovation - to increase revenue and put them back on the table for Super Bowl conversation (which also increases revenue).  None of this was done for the fans' or team's benefit.

Its fine, I get it, its an investment for him.  But call it what it is.  Premium features like this aren't done for the fans or to benefit the team.  They are to benefit one single person.

You know me, I love a good rant...but your claim is at least partially wrong. Those cushy luxury living rooms actually ARE for the fans. They're just for the extremely wealthy fans. South Florida has more than its fair share of well-to-do residents, and many of them are sports fans. These new accommodations are designed to provide a profit to the owner and to deliver a luxurious way for the wealthiest Dolphins fans to enjoy the game...cost be damned.

It's impossible to re-do a stadium in this day of age when you want/need to host Super Bowls, College Football NC Games, and other huge events without having the luxury boxes, suits, and things like this would have been insane!. So, yes ....for the vision of the stadium going forward and to keep it viable and (most importantly) for a stadium that is privately owned and really that only has full time tenant; to get revenue to keep the stadium afloat THIS WAS NEEDED! When the Marlins left that stadium and moved, the Dolphins and Ross lost a huge chunk of revenue. The stadium went from being in full time use to being a part time building which generated little money. So, if you are going to re-do it, then it better damn sure be financially viable otherwise why waste the time.

Re-doing a stadium and not adding luxury suits/boxes and not having it be attractive for Super Bowls and other BIG events outside of the 10 Dolphins games a year and a few Hurricanes games (and they are trying to leave and break their lease) and spending big money and NOT doing luxury suits would have been insane. It was needed. You can't see the forest from the trees Brian.

Just because you can't afford them doesn't mean they aren't for fans. There are rich fans, poor fans, and middle class fans. And newsflash....those suits sold out ASAP! So it was clearly the right move to build them.

This is pure posturing. They have a very long term lease that Ross is not interested in having them break and no viable options to move to. If the Hurricanes move it won't be for several years.

Well they want to team up with Beckhamn and the soccer stadium he is trying to build but that stadium idea looks to be dead so the Canes are going no place.

A MikeO complete 180 back-track in under 2 hours.  A new record?

I'm late to the party, but this is good.  Anything that works and sells is good.  The Dolphins can't sell out and the lower bowl isn't sold out of season tickets, so it's not like anyone is left out in the cold. 

If you want a nice stadium, you gotta make money however you can.  If that comes from Ben Affleck or the Walmart exec who negotiates shipping rates with UPS, then so be it.  Get money, improve stadium and facilities, draw fan interest, draw free agents, win.

Not at all, your reading comprehension is at an all time low. I said they are TRYING to leave and break there lease. But they will be unsuccessful.

mod edit: personal attack removed

Fins announced over 90% of the lower bowl seats for the entire 2015 season are sold at this time and ticket sales are way ahead of last years pace even with a reduced capacity stadium. All Club level seats are sold out. They announced almost nothing is left for the high end luxury packages too, a couple things left but virtually sold out. And secondary market Dolphins home game tickets are up 18% in value

Ross hit a home run with the stadium renovation.

I tried to buy tickets to the Patriots game Week 17 this morning.  The cheapest in the house is $90 per seat and the best available is row 21 in the upper deck.

They have officially priced me out of being able to go to games.

FORBES also had an article that on the "secondary market" the Dolphins ticket is now at its highest level since 2010.  The average price for the Cowboys-Fins Week 11 game on the secondary market is $340! For the Giants-Fins MNF game the average price on the secondary market is $332.

As I said, if you think these upgrades are not going to come at a price, you're mistaken.

i'm perfectly ok with the price going up .. it's the free market .. take what you can get and what the market bears

$90 / seat for a game .. sure .why not .. i've spent more than that in a casino over 3.5 hours

I agree, I'm fine with the price going up, but here's the thing - they raise the price for certain games.  The Cobowys game is minimum face value $110 to walk in the door.

Yup, fine with it.

But, don't expect me to pay it.  Not to sit in the 3rd row from the top of the stadium.

I don't have a problem with the prices, so long as they're selling.  It's when they have a beautiful stadium of empty seats that I start to care about price.

It would be silly to charge the same price for a Jags or Texans game as a Cowboys or Patriots game.

Especially since the Jags game is away.

Consider yourself lucky. A pre-season Dallas Cowboys game seat in the THIRD deck is $70. From that seat you might be able to make out the numbers on players back with binoculars. Basically you are watching the game on the jumbotron. I have a better view from my couch.

yes, silly.  like they have been for the past 40-some-odd seasons....

Half the seats have been in 90+ degree direct sunlight for the same 40 years, correct?
Sometimes things change.

I must have missed the memo where they moved the sun to avoid sunlight this season...  Makes that seat at 3000 ft above sea level way more worth that $110...

(and if I wanted to be technical, I'd point out that this stadium has only been around about 28 years...)

Well they really are taking money away from the ticket resellers by doing this.

(https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/dolph.gif)

You're the one who said "40 some-odd seasons" in the first place.  I presumed you were also referring to the Orange Bowl, which (to my knowledge) was not shaded either.

yes, but my comment was in reference to pricing structure - where they charged roughly the same price for every game. 

There will not be a roof THIS season, as your animation clearly illustrates.

Unless you're admitting that your complaints are valid only for this season, "The roof isn't going up until NEXT YEAR" is a cop-out.

Again: things change.  You were able to sit in direct sunlight during a 90 degree day in a 25+ year old stadium and pay the same price for every game.  Now, you are getting an upgraded stadium with new seats, new accoutrements, a new canopy to provide shade, and new pricing.

I'm saying that, sure, they made some upgrades to the stadium, but nothing that represents a notable upgrade to the game experience THIS SEASON.  Yet, somehow they justify charging for the upgraded experience pricing THIS SEASON.  So, yes, I would understand if the new pricing went into effect NEXT season, and you could say "well, there's a roof and 4 new jumbotrons and someone has to pay for it."  But, in fact, this season's Section 308 row 21 is not appreciably different than the exact same seat last season (other than last season's seat was called 408 and it was orange, and now its aqua).  So, why should the price change if the experience does not?

I understand football is a business.  I understand that high-demand games that are likely to sell-out can demand a higher price tag.  I took economics 101.  But I don't have to be happy about it.  I didn't ask for stadium upgrades, I was fine with it how it was.  I had season tickets for many years, until it became unaffordable.  Now, I can't even really go to the 1 or 2 games per year that I have been.  Sure, things change.  I get it.  But I never expected that they'd want to price out the "middle and lower class fans."  They removed thousands of "cheap seats" and charge way more for the ones that remain, but, hey, some super rich snobs get to sit in lazy boys down below, so somehow I should just be happy with it?

Sorry, I disagree.

In point of fact, this season has new seats throughout the whole stadium and upgraded concourses at the 100 and 300 levels.  But perhaps these are things you do not care about.

In any case, it would seem that the best way to avoid complaints such as yours (on the merits you have stated) would be to keep prices the same as/similar to 2014 for 2015, and then have a huge jump in prices for 2016 (when the upgrades are complete and the stadium is drastically improved).  I don't know that I agree with such a plan, and I hope the Dolphins plan to have more gradual increases in ticket pricing.

So, if you're saying that the new pricing structure this season is a stepping stone to an all new and even-more-unreasonable pricing structure next season, then fine.  My impression was that it wasn't.

The Dolphins always used to refute the complaints about cost with the old "we have the 4th lowest average ticket price in the league."  I guess they've decided not to care about that anymore.

I was not happy with how it was.  The games were getting to be unattendable for me, with the heat.  It's just a brutal, long day, that's better spent at home.

So, it sucked to see an empty stadium every week.  If they have to raise prices for elite games so that people actually attend, I'm fine with that.

The only thing is that I hope it works both ways.  Charge $300 for Dallas -- whatever.  But charge $30 for Jacksonville, so that regular people can attend, too.

It's a business. And in business the marketplace changes over time. If people are WILLING to spend big bucks and buy up all of these seats they would be crazy not to charge as much as they can.

In years past the stadium was nothing special, borderline a dump, no special features, and the team really sucked to boot. Now the team sucks a little less and is improving, the new features at the stadium are a draw to many fans and will improve the "game experience"....so yeah they can charge more and the people are buying it up. The old saying...."If you build it they will come"......well Ross built it and they are coming!

This is still America and Ross (as every other owner) as every right to make as much as they can on their product. Just like you have the right to speak with your wallet and not go to anymore games.

Come on, let's not be naive.

The variable game pricing structure is intended to bleed visiting-team fans as much as possible.  Why charge more for Cowboys and Giants?  Because they can, and Cowboys and Giants fans will show up anyway.  Same reason why almost every MLB team does the same for any games against the Yankees or Red Sox.

Because the demand is higher for those games?  I don't even understand the issue.  Companies sell high-demand products for more than low-demand ones.

Exactly!! You can't fault an organization for trying to maximize profits and make the most money possible.  If fans weren't paying the price that is one thing, people are paying it though! I have the same question Dave, what is the issue? 

Besides, these tickets are selling for that much on the secondary market anyway.  It just puts the money in the hands of the organization instead of re-sellers.

Yep!!

"We have one of the cheapest tickets in the league" is the argument you trot out when your stadium is a dump.

I went to see the Dolphins play the 49ers in 2012, before the 49ers moved to their new stadium in Santa Clara.  I paid $97 for this seat at Candlestick:

(http://viperbeam.com/MIAatSF.jpg)

Suffice it to say that the same tickets at Levi's would not be remotely near the same price.

its not really an issue for me, I'm not arguing with anyone here.  Its a discussion board, I'm discussing my disappointment that I probably can't go to Dolphins' games anymore because the organization has made the conscious decision that I'm no longer welcome at their facility due to my financial status within society.

And that's fine.  But its disappointing.

Attendance numbers will tell the story.  We'll see how many people really are willing to pay $90 to sit in heaven.

For the record, I'm not discussing the $90.  I'm more disappointed about where in the stadium that puts you.  I'd pay $90, maybe more, to go to a game.  That's fine.  But if I pay that, I don't expect the worst seat in the house.  Maybe I expect too much...

I try to re-create the stadium experience while watching from home by having my wife stand in front of the tv to block my view during every big play, spill beer on me, start a fight with me, and turn the heater on in the house and set it to about 97.  Then I give her $100 for the pleasure of that wonderful experience. 

Did you enjoy the 49ers victory?  ;)

You can still go -- you just gotta go to Jacksonville or get games on the secondary market when the price levels out.  You'll be fine, man.

Dolphins have sold all season tickets on 100 level they announced today

^ Wow.  That's good news.

half the price of the least expensive mia@ne ticket

Dolphins announced today they officially sold out EVERY season ticket for the 2015 season in the entire stadium, all levels . They are taking deposits for the 2016 season currently and have begun a "waiting list"

Some single game tickets for the 2015 season are available

To honor this achievement, Joe Philbin has called a timeout.

^ I literally LOLed.  Well done.

https://twitter.com/NemmyKash/status/634898285489168384

Speaking of Philbin. This video speaks for itself...

Dressed like that, no wonder he's lobbying our GM to pick up Michael Sam!

In all seriousness, he just does not personify an on the ball , game ready Headcoach.  Embarrassing is how I'll refer to him!