MIAMI — Dolphins fans apparently have a soft spot in their hearts for renovation projects.Whether it’s the overhaul of Sun Life Stadium or the revamped roster, they are buying into the optimism the club was trumpeting Tuesday afternoon, when CEO Tom Garfinkel revealed that nearly all season tickets have been sold and he expects every regular-season home game to sell out.
Jarvis Landry’s glittering silver shoes were impossible to miss at the Dolphins’ kickoff luncheon in Miami on Aug. 17, 2015. (Courtesy of Miami Dolphins)
Garfinkel made those announcements at the Dolphins’ annual kickoff luncheon, which, fittingly, drew a sold-out audience of 650 to the InterContinental Miami hotel.
Garfinkel said by the end of next week, all 47,000 seats budgeted for season-ticket packages will be spoken for. The only season tickets left are upstairs. A maximum of 3,000 to 4,000 individual tickets remain for regular-season games.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Garfinkel said of the demand, despite the NFL eliminating blackouts. “We’ve got a positive, dedicated fan base. The renovation of the stadium is exciting and there is a lot of optimism for this team and for what’s been done this off-season, the players that have been brought in, Ryan’s (Tannehill’s) development as a quarterback, et cetera, et cetera.”
The main course of the luncheon was a healthy serving of optimism. Ndamukong Suh, the prize of free agency, pointed out that fellow Pro Bowl defensive lineman Cameron Wake has had 15 sacks (in 2012) but said 20 sounds more appealing. Wake, standing beside him, appeared to agree.
“Not being able to play in the playoffs since I’ve been here … ,” said Wake, who arrived in 2009. “Now is the time.”
Coach Joe Philbin, entering his fourth season, said team chemistry and the organization itself have “never been better” in his time in Miami.
