Could the Miami Dolphins franchise move to Los Angeles?

[jtex316]

Is it possible - is it conceivable - is is imaginable - that the Miami Dolphins would one day become the Los Angeles ____?

To say that the Dolphins have had limited success in the last 10 years as an NFL franchise would be putting it mildly. They have not won a playoff game since Jim Mora Sr. was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts (I was at that game, BTW). They have only won the division once in that same 10-year time span. In recent years, while they did win the AFC East at 11-5, they also went embarrassingly 1-15 in 2007 and a pair of 7-9 sub-par seasons with an abysmal 1-7 home record last year.

The current owner of the franchise, Stephen Ross, has clearly shown that traditions mean very little. 1 PM early-season start times have been repealed for and officially scratched. Club Liv and other entertainment-oriented, non-football activities have been the focus of the business. A lack of advertising and marketing have ensued, as well as a loss of focus on loyal, season-ticket holding customers (as detailed in a recent thread). Creating a "QB Competition" means signing Matt Moore and failing to obtain Kyle Orton.

If this season turns out to be as pitiful as the two before it, not only will a lot of players and personnel receive their "walking papers", but so might the community and South Florida. Los Angeles has not been able to bring a professional football franchise to its area for nearly 20 years now and Stephen Ross - the ex-Real Estate mogul who is trying to incorporate Hollywood into the Miami Dolphins - might just move to Hollywood and take his team with him.

The Los Angeles / Anaheim area has two of everything else: MLB Teams (Dodgers and Angels), NHL teams (Ducks and Kings) and NBA teams (Lakers and Clippers). They even have an MLS team! But what they don't have is a team that, after last season, not many people wanted in South Florida either.

There are a few franchises that are struggling to produce a winning product and a profit - Jacksonville being the team that comes to mind. But does Wayne Weaver (the current Jags owner) have the panache and gall to get up a move an entire team across the country? An owner that has never made a fuss about the only stadium he's ever known and an owner that pours several millions of dollars into the community and an owner who has only had 2 coaches in his entire franchise's history and an owner so trusting that his head coach can come to him 5 days before the season starts and asks to cut their multi-year starting QB? Does a guy like that have the balls to uproot a team and move?

Now ask yourself this: Does Stephen Ross? An owner that hopped on an emergency flight cross-country to try to land a new head coach while still employing Tony Sparano and an owner who fumbled an opportunity to bring in true QB competition and an owner concerned more with comfortable visiting fans than a home-field advantage?

Think about it - you may find yourself one day cheering for the Los Angeles ____.

[Guru-In-Vegas]

^   I'd be all for it!!!

Miami fans suck and the team would be very close to me!

[Dave Gray]

Maybe I'm naive, but I just don't think that can happen.  Football is too big in this town.  Worst case, they move the team and leave the name here for us to use, like the Browns.  We have too much history

[Sunstroke]

I'm sure it will happen...probably right after the NY Giants relocate to Des Moines, Iowa.

[fyo]

jtex, setting new lows for Trolls.

[Spider-Dan]

To say that the Dolphins have had limited success in the last 10 years as an NFL franchise would be putting it mildly. They have not won a playoff game since Jim Mora Sr. was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts (I was at that game, BTW). They have only won the division once in that same 10-year time span. In recent years, while they did win the AFC East at 11-5, they also went embarrassingly 1-15 in 2007 and a pair of 7-9 sub-par seasons with an abysmal 1-7 home record last year.

Here is the list of teams that have not won their division in the last 10 years:

BUF, CLE, JAX, HOU, WSH, DET

Here is the list of teams that have not won a playoff game since Miami won its last one:

BUF, CIN, CLE, HOU, KC, DET

Here is the list of teams that have not made the playoffs at all in the last decade:

BUF, HOU, DET

Please explain why these teams would be less likely to move to L.A. than the Dolphins.

In summary: Miami isn't even the best candidate in their own division for an L.A. move.

[dolfan13]

dolphins are one of 15 nfl teams with a valuation over $1 billion dollars. this the same team that has virtually done nothing in a generation.

for all the crap the fans get for being bad fans, this franchise profits handsomely in the miami market.

i think the nfl would want to grow a bigger pie, not shuffle around franchises that are already doing well for the league.

[StL FinFan]

jtex, setting new lows for Trolls.

this

[jtex316]

Please explain why these teams would be less likely to move to L.A. than the Dolphins.

In summary: Miami isn't even the best candidate in their own division for an L.A. move.

So do you want me to explain it to you or have you already formulated your own explanation?

In summary: Miami's owner has the "brass" to lift up a team and move them across the country and not give a shit.

CLE - That team ain't going anywhere, especially after getting screwed by Art Modell
CIN - That owner is too god damn arrogant to move a team
BUF - Ralph Wilson is 1,000 years old and the damn stadium is named after him
JAX - See my entire thread above
HOU - Unlike the other teams, Houston is on the rise. They're staying put
WSH - Daniel Snyder doesn't have the guts to move his team from DC
DET - Neither do the Ford family - and Detroit is also on the rise

[Brian Fein]

This entire thread is a really weak attempt at pot-stirring.

[Phishfan]

While I know jtex is just stirring the pot, I think this was actually one of his better works of late. I think he actually put some time into this one rather than just throwing things at the wall.

[Doc-phin]

Doesn't Steve Ross have several other business interests in the Miami area?  I imagine moving a profitable team like the Dolphins would not be conducive to his real estate ventures.

But I like the discussion.  I think if residents got this feeling they might actually get their butts to some games and at least give the illusion of support.  Maybe if it gets talked about more, people would wake up a bit.  Right now it seems like many (not all or even most) of folks around the area are just taking the team for granted and waiting till they are good again to act like they have been around the whole time.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The idea that the Dolphins could be the team that move to LA should not be dismissed out of hand as some of you suggest. 

There are some teams we know won't be making the move:  NEP, Jets, Giants, Steelers, Packers, etc.  and there some teams that could Bills, Vikings, Chargers, etc and the Dolphins are on that list. 

Number on candidate as Jtex suggests?  NO.  But certainly a candidate. 

I would draw this analogy to the question of "who will be the republican nominee in 2012?"  A team like the Steelers has as much chance of moving to LA as Nancy Polsi has of being the republican nominee.  The Dolphins aren't Rick Perry more along the lines of Micheal Bachmann. 

The Dolphins are owned by someone who sees the team more as an investment than as a fan.  And they are struggling to sell seats.   

[dolfan13]

please, just stop the propaganda...

from a pure business perspective to the nfl, the miami dolphins franchise is in the top 15 teams in terms of valuation based on their current market.

the nfl will expand to la to grow the entire pie. not to reshuffle markets that are currently profitable.

[Sunstroke]

Dolphins aren't Rick Perry more along the lines of Micheal Bachmann. 

Hopefully Michael Bachmann isn't as completely batshit-crazy as his sister, Michelle...