The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/06/2100026/miami-dolphins-ceo-performance.html

Dee is saying that the Dolphins Stadium is aging and out of date. It's only 24 years old. Give me a break!! Then Dee trys to sell the notion that PUBLIC money should be used to put a roof and improve the stadium which is PRIVATLY owned! Because when they open the stadium ( TO MAKE MONEY THAT STAYS PRIVATE OF COURSE) it turns into a public venue. Uh? What BS! If Ross wants a roof and improvements into that stadium, pay for it yourself and don't rape the tax payers!!  Especially the taxpayers who don't even go to or use the stadium. You want to improve the stadium, only 2 ways it should be paid for. 1) The owner pays for it.  2) Raise ticket, food, parking..etc prices across the board so the people who actually go to it, and use it....PAY for the improvements!!  Don't tax the public the vast majority of which never step foot into the place.

2 other highlights are the Uniforms aren't changing in 2011 and the old fight song won't come back full time. Just still play once a game at the end of the 3rd quarter. Ross isn't a fan of the old fight song....well once a game he doesn't mind it! lol lol

Every Dolphins game puts millions into the local economy as does all the other major events. Taxpayers actually make a return on investments like this regardless of if they go to games or not.

It's gonna be a tough sell in this economy to get money for a football stadium which after the Marlins leave will be used a handful of times a year. Especially when the Marlins just got public money and got a new stadium and were all but caught fudging the numbers.

And it's not like the taxpayers actually have to PAY for the improvements, either.  It's just that we don't make the stadium pay taxes.

I can be a good financial decision, if it means more money coming in locally, as CF said.  We can MAKE money as a city on stadium improvements, if it causes us to get things like Super Bowls and concerts and stuff.

Once the Marlins leave that stadium in a year, that building will be used 10 times for the Fins and about 6 times for the Hurricanes each year. Throw in your Orange Bowl. Your occassional concerts. And gimmick events like WWE WrestleFest or whatever its called. And that stadium will have its doors open less than 40 times a year. Gonna be hard to justify putting any money into it when its hardly ever used.

How much money does the Dolphins really bring into Miami?

If I fly in, stay in a hotel, eat at restaurants, etc...that brings money into Miami.

If a local spends his entertainment dollars at the stadium instead of at other Miami restaurants and clubs, it really doesn't bring much money into the economy.   

I would suggest that a single superbowl bring more money into the Miami economy than a decade of Dolphin games.   

That could be said about every team, not just Miami.

Speaking of concerts, big groups won't travel all the way into Miami. That stopped when I was a kid. There were concerts at Miami Stadium and the Orange Bowl but groups would come no further than the Hollywood Sportatorium or stop in Orlando.

The National Car Rental Center is the perfect venue for concerts so that's where most relevant groups go.

This is another way to fleece the public. The Dolphins are caving into the threats of Roger Goodell just because a little rain fell during the Colts-Bears Superbowl. I thought it was a very cool thing to see.

After the fiasco in Dallas, I wouldn't do a thing if I was the Dolphins. The NFL will bring the game back to South Florida.

Whenever we (our private club) hosts one of our larger soccer tournaments say anywhere between 180- 200 teams, the local economic impact can be over 2 million as is estimated by the local Economic Development committee. That means our little soccer club can bring a positive impact to our local economy of upwards up to 5 million a year.  I find it hard to believe that the Dolphin stadium does not bring in much more than that for every game.

This is why local governments can spend money on private projects as in upgrading our facilities. It's a win for them and us.

^^^^Just so you don't think I am exaggerating ... I actually copied this from our County Manger's Annual Report which just came out. This was a smaller team tournament but because of the nature (Every major girls college was out there recruiting) it had the same impact as our larger ones. The Seminole Soccer Complex referred to in the report is my Soccer Club.

So... $250 a head a day.

Apply that to the Dolphins and you get about $90 million for 8 one-day events (home games) not counting tickets if we were to assume that everyone came from "outside" whatever area we're talking about (e.g. Miami).

^^ but in reality probably 10% or less of people at a Miami Dolphins' home game came from elsewhere and are spending money on hotels and car rentals, etc.  So, that number goes down to $9million per event.

True.  But we were discussing Miami. 

I doubt it is even that high.  Particularly in the car rental number. 

You probably get a very very small number of people who fly in and rent a car.  You get a slightly higher number who drive in from outside Miami but still from Southern Florida, that rent a hotel for a night but are using their own car. 

Keep in mind with the soccer event almost everyone was from out of state.  That results in hotels, car rental and restaurant bills. 

And also while some of the opposing fans who show up to the game are flying in many are not.  Most of the Jets fans who make an annual trek to Dolphin stadium are not flying in from the Northeast but have moved to southern Florida and don't need to rent a car or hotel to attend the game. 

Likewise concerts or baseball games don't bring much in either.  What does bring in money is things like the soccer tournament or the super bowl where most of the people are not from southern Florida. 

Car rentals aren't really a factor in my experience in traveling for soccer. Even when going across multiple states these teams usually drive. There is just so much gear involved (uniforms, balls, daily clothes, sleeping clothes, etc.)

As stated, the $90 million was for 8 one-day events, so 10% would be closer to $1M per event.

70,000 fans @ 10% = 7,000 fans in hotels. I bet its way more than that. That doesn't count the thousands of people, like myself, that do the day trip and have to refuel and eat.

^^^ where are you getting that 10% of the fans are staying in hotels?

I doubt it is that high. 

Plus it doesn't really matter how much the regulars season game bring in now...how many addition fans would stay in hotels if the stadium had roof vs the number of fans that stay in hotels when there isn't a roof?  That is the analysis that needs to be made to decide if tax dollars ought be used. 

The ONLY reason to use public money to improve the stadium is if it will bring in more events that will attract outsiders/tourists such as the super bowl, national soccer tournaments, etc.   Not just a more pleasant regular season game for Dolphin fans or attracting concerts in which the vast majority of attendees will local. 

^^^ Why discount the fact that locals will be attending concerts and other events at the stadium??  Maybe I'm off the mark (because I'm from upstate NY where gov't taxes everything), but are there sales taxes on tickets, parking, food & beverages, etc.??  What about the fact that these events generate jobs for concessions, ushers, clean up, etc; and the fact these earnings will be spent in the community??  Having a sports franchise is also about quality of life for a community, and not all members of the community need to benefit.  Governments pay for parks, but no all community members use the park, should they close down the parks??

I usually stay a couple of times a year and the hotel is always packed. Hit the local hotspots and they are packed too with many Dolphin fans. I seriously doubt the local economy doesn't go up by several millions each game. That doesn't even account for all the restaurant and bars that are full during the games.

The reason why locals don't matter for the concert that much is odds are the money would have been spend locally anyway.  Most people have portion of their budget they can spend on entertainment each month, most of it spent locally.  So if one month you go to a concert spending money on tickets, parking and food that night, there will be a couple of other nights that month that you will stay home instead of going to a club or going to a restaurant that you would have gone to had you not spent the money at the concert.  Spending a  $100 at a concert at Dolphin stadium and then to make up for it not going out to dinner twice each of which would have cost you $50 doesn't add to the local economy.  It just moves it from a restaurant to a football stadium.   Getting people to spend entertainment dollars in Miami instead of in Boston or Orlando improves the Miami economy. 

Odds are, it would have been spent locally... on imported electronics.

At least when the money is spent with the service industry, it stays local (longer).

You certainly make some good points, and I do agree with you to a certain extent.  However, I will regularly travel an hour or two North, South, East, or West to attend sporting events or concerts.  I'm not going to be normally going to those communities to spend my entertainment dollars.  Plus, most people don't budget their money, its more impulse spending.  As another poster stated the money would probably be spent on some electronic gadget.