What Will Happen To The Dolphins When Stephen Ross Dies?

[phins_4_ever]

I have a little bit of insight here for once lol

This spring I was able to speak to a high level Dolphins employee on the business side (management level). One of the topics was Mr. Ross and Bruce Beal. Common thought is that Beal will in fact be the next owner and that Mr. Ross' family doesn't really have any involvement in the operation of the team. It's basically him, and the Dolphins are essentially his play toy. TIFWIW

Common thought is correct. The NFL though will prove his worth at the time of the purchase if he intends to buy the Dolphins. The NFL does not give pre-approvals on ownerships. A lot can happen over the years.

It's funny you say play toy because that's exactly how I'd describe it ... not that it would be a hopeful description by a higher up on the team. He's happy as long as his investment adds value. Anything else is a bonus.

Like I said it is a big boys toy. It is the rich man's version of a stamp collection. A 2 Billion investment based on income of an NFL franchise is a losing proposition. Only a resale will bring profits until then it is just a toy.
Personally I think NFL franchises are overvalued. It is solely based on TV contracts. If you go by pure income the average franchise would not fetch more than 300 or 400 Mill.
That is one of the reasons Spygate was never fully investigated. It would have send the value of an NFL franchise tumbling into the 300 Mill range (if that much).
The only people who actually make money on an NFL franchise are long term owners like Jones and Kraft who bought their franchises 20 and 30 years ago for a pocket change of 200 Mill or so.

 

[phins_4_ever]

Yep. That was this person's words, not mine. He does genuinely appear to love the team though.

If he does he has to prove it. He has to make the decision for the franchise "he loves" and not use it as a catch all for his friends.