Y'know, I'm getting pretty sick of hearing what lousy fans we are and how it serves us right to have the games blacked out. All the reasons/excuses have been made and discussed at length (transient population w/different team loyalties, expense, heat, time, parking, access, etc). This is not a new phenomenon to South Florida.
So at what point does ownership have to accept some responsibility? If it's a consistent problem, what is being done to correct it, besides the outdated and obviously ineffective use of extortion, er, I mean blackouts. Blackouts really only hurt 2 entities: the local TV affiliates that lose the better advertising dollars that would go along with a local game, and the local fans who may have been on the fence about the dolphins but now either lose interest from lack of exposure or just get a bad taste in their mouths from the perception of greedy ownership.
Obviously, a winning product is the best draw, and they're doing their best like any other team. But what other things could be done, especially with a new coach and new era, to try to create a more loyal fan base? Blackouts are adversarial. What about some help to let us know management considers us an assett and not just a meal ticket? Cheaper prices? Cheaper/free parking? Better crowd control to speed up the process? Some way to cool us (shade/misting/fans,etc)? More reasonable concession prices? I don't know the answer; it's up to them to find it.
The bottom line is it is a consistent problem because for whatever reason a large # of potential fans don't consider going to the game worth the time and expense. They're not getting value for the time and money they spend, it is up to the business to creatively address that to create a more dependable and loyal fan base. An adversarial blackout of the very fans they're trying to win over obviously doesn't work.
A good first step would be Wayne or the Fins buying out the remaining tix to lift the blackout and use it as positive PR; a "we're in this together" sort of message.
But at some point the business owner has to be held at least partly responsible for consistently poor sales.