Originally posted by baracuda
My thinking on the "fickle" Miami fan base is as follows:
12 month outdoor activities. How many other major markets can boast that? If you are a Jets fan, what else are you going to do up there in December. Gee - there's the Knicks, Rangers, and the Jets. But you can't go fishing, and you can't play golf. People would rather do other things then watch a football game in South Florida. Fans in cities like Green Bay and Washington live and die by their teams. They have waiting lists a mile long for tickets, and all they talk about is their team. Not in Miami. People would rather hang out at the beach and get a tan then go to a Dolphins game. They'd rather go deep sea fishing or play golf then watch the Fins.
It's a whole different mind set in places like here in DC, where the whole town shuts down for a Redskins game. Same thing in Green Bay.
And in Miami it really has not much to do with the teams record either. Because when you look at the Canes fan base. The only games they sell out in the Orange Bowl are when the Gators or Semiholes come to town. The Canes are consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country, but they can't even get 40,000 people to attend a game. And that is sad.
I honestly don't attribute much to the race issue, or the income issue. If you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to pay for it. If people wanted to see the Dolphins and Canes play bad enough they'd have no problem coming up with the cash. They just don't have the passion that the folks in New York, DC, Green Bay or Denver have for their home teams.
And that my friends is the reality of the fickle Miami fans. Don't worry, you're not alone. Just check the Tampa fans and Jags fans to see how many people attend those games. Tampa used to have plenty of empty seats prior to Tony Dungy arriving and actually making them competive. And the Jags are showing that their loyal fan base could care less since the Jags have started losing.