Dolphins take their eyes off the ball

I have been a season-ticket holder of the Miami Dolphins for 35 years. But, over the years, it has become more difficult to justify renewing my ticket. Since Stephen Ross bought the team four years ago, we never-say-die fans have seen a devotion to anything but the traditions of this once-proud sports franchise.

We have seen new celebrity owners shown off on the jumbo screen and walking in on the orange carpet as if we came there to gaze at showbiz folk. We’ve seen the attempt to relegate our traditional fight song (though hokey) to the sidelines. We’ve seen the pre-game prayer done away with completely. It must have offended many people — or, at least, Ross — to here members of the clergy thank God for the opportunity to enjoy a football game and pray for the safety of the players.

Heck, there is even a movement to do away with the only home-field advantage we have left by putting a partial roof on the stadium. There goes the advantage of having teams from cold climates wear their dark jerseys in hot early-season games. That is the reason the Dolphins wear white at home.

But all this wasn’t enough. Now the Dolphin logo has been changed. Those in charge said that it was time for a change. May I suggest that the only change that was really sought was in the cash register from the sale of hats, shirts and other merchandise with the new logo?

Since the Dolphins have dispatched their tradition of winning on the field, I guess the decision was made to do away with most of our other traditions, as well. If the Steelers, Raiders or Colts, all teams with iconic logos, had done the same, the fan base would have revolted. But to quell any unrest among the masses, the Dolphin marketing department went into action.

Don’t try to make me believe that the tweets from Don Shula, Dan Marino or sports-radio personalities complimenting the new logo design were spontaneous. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that these were all set up ensure that everybody stuck to the party line.

Why doesn’t the team worry less about what the logo looks like and concentrate more on who’s wearing that logo? How ’bout we concentrate on football for a change?

Daniel Cotter, Coral Gables

Get the 5-Minute Herald
VIA EMAIL

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.