"How has the gameday experience gotten worse"? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

"How has the gameday experience gotten worse"?

Adam First

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I received an automated e-mail from the "NFL Fan Huddle", a joint endeavor from the Dolphins and the NFL asking what they think about the Dolphins as an organization - not football-wise, but brand and stadium and things of that sort.

One of the questions was "How do you feel about the gameday experience at Sun Life Stadium?", and I believed it has gotten worse over the past couple seasons. They asked 'why', and I went on a bit of a tangent.

Where can I begin?
I believe "Fins Up" is unbelievably stupid. It's a rally cry that doesn't make any sense. The Jimmy Buffet theme song is flat out bad. There's tradition with the Dolphins fight song, whereas the Buffet tune is pretty much from a commercial endeavor. I believe the fight song should still be played after extra points from touchdowns, and field goals. The flaunting of the celebrity owners is down-right obnoxious - I don't really care to see Marc Anthony or Fergie up in the luxury boxes every 15 minutes during breaks of play. Stephen Ross is trying to create this celebrity brand for the Dolphins that most fans in the stadium couldn't care less about. Sure, let the jetsetters and cocaine cowboys have the LIV nightclub during the games, I'll be in the stands with the 70,000 other real fans watching a FOOTBALL game. Plus concessions have gotten worse over the past three seasons, the prices for parking are outrageous and the parking itself is a joke. What justifies paying $25 a spot for a minimum-security paved/dirt lot? Instead of building a water park across the street from the stadium, Mr. Ross, why not upgrade our parking lots? But I digress.

I'm sure many folks here that go to Sun Life regularly would agree with my position. :ponder:
 
I've had season ticket's since 2005, ya its gotten worse but WINNING would fix everything.
 
You should have added how much of a dump Sunlife stadium is. They need to completely knock that thing down and build a brand new one
 
You should have added how much of a dump Sunlife stadium is. They need to completely knock that thing down and build a brand new one

I don't agree with that assessment. Sun Life is a good stadium that will only have room for improvements when the Marlins finally move out this October. Ross is committed to upgrade the stadium for future Super Bowls. Roger Goodell wants him to upgrade the stadium, first and foremost. And it does need an upgrade, mainly from the inside out.
 
They get too caught up in the celebrity hype and orange carpet bull. It's a damn football game. Show me hot cheerleaders and some touchdowns and I'm happy. They need to tell fergie and the rest of the celeb owners to stfu because every fan probably knows more about football than they do.
 
How is Sun Life so bad? Granted, I haven't been to many other stadiums (Super Dome once), although maybe I just never payed much attention because I rarely used the concessions there or anything outside the bathroom which was a journey in itself. I usually never had much of an issue with parking ever and could pretty much do whatever tailgaiting. Maybe if we actually start winning we can get a new stadium in the future.
 
dude your original feedback to them is right on, take a look at what I sent yesterday titled 'did anyone respond to the fan input for sun life' or something like that.

I think the celebrity owners, thats all good, they're just a pregame distraction. I like the idea of making the pre-game a big party, so great but COME ON start doing stuff like 6 hours before the game, dont put the pregame concert on 60 minutes before kickoff and make everyone scramble inside to the seats. And how about telling us on your website in plenty of time exactly whats going on at the stadium that day instead of blindly walking around it?? Four years ago I sat with a guy who had a nice professional photo with a couple cheerleaders they were giving for free during a pre-game promo. How in the hell do you find out about that stuff? He just got lucky because of where he parked and walked by it.

What I really hate is that the crowd just doesn't get loud enough, long enough. I mean a few years ago they were still playing Huey Lewis and the News for God sakes, so its come a long way.

I guess they call Ocean Drive club the LIV now, huh interesting. And yes totally, I see no value in purchasing that as a gameday experience. Sit in the basement and watch it on TV in Black Light? Come on now, really? Do your partying the night before or after the game if we win.

And yeah about the parking lot, I'm cool with the beach sandish surface in some of the lots, no problem, hey its miami right? but how about just clearing the rocks and leveling it out? And the rickshaws, i'm still on the fence about that. Pay $40 to park and $20 to be bicycled to the stadium, huh well I guess everyones making a buck on that one, dont forget to tip your driver.
 
I don't find the stadium to be as bad as others make it seem. The parking situation isn't the greatest but I'm used to parking in their lots and having to walk 5-10 mins to the stadium by now. It's just what you have to do. Food/beer prices? I've never been to a professional game where either were cheap so what's the difference here? All pro teams' Pro Shops are expensive, the food/drinks are expensive, they all have unnecessary entertainment either at halftime (NFL/NBA) or between innings, and you'll always have douchebags fans somewhere in the stadium raising hell.

That's just what happens
 
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