Dwindling Dolphins Fan Base?

Television ratings for this past Sunday Night Football games were the lowest in years. The game featured the Miami Dolphins against the Los Angeles Chargers. Is the fan base of the Dolphins dwindling or is it that ratings do not tell the whole story?

Dwindling Dolphins Fan Base in South Florida

Dolphins games draw more local viewers than most anything on TV, but ratings low compared with what many other NFL markets get for home team. FYI: Heat-Celtics Game 7 Eastern Finals got a 12 local rating on ESPN (& was available in far fewer S. Florida homes than Fins-LA was). https://t.co/nRREmzxcFj

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 13, 2022

As you can see in the above tweets from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the ratings still beat other shows. But, why does the South Florida market not follow their NFL team like others fan bases do on a weekly basis? My first thought was that the Dolphins fan base in South Florida may be dwindling as long-time residents leave the area. They are then replaced by people from other markets that do not have the same passion for the Fins.

Then you do ticket studies and see that the Dolphins sold out of season tickets for the first time in their history. So, is it that Dolfans simply do not like watching games on television? I do not buy the excuse that there is too much to do in South Florida. Every major market has a lot to do. I know you might say that other areas get so cold that fans just stay home and watch television. But, I do not buy that argument either.

I know from being on social media that Dolfans are a passionate bunch! All the “Big E” has to do is tweet out to vote on some poll involving a Dolphins player and that player shoots up the polls! So, I do not see a dwindling fan base on social media for the most part. Yet, of all the AFC East teams, the Fins have the fewest followers for the official accounts of the teams. Miami is not far behind the Bills, or Jets. But, they are miles behind the Patriots. Big E, get on this matter! This brings me to my next thought!

Lack of Winning

I was born and raised in South Florida. I still live in South Florida 53 years later. A rarity these days. My sons are Dolphins fans because they had no other option if they wanted a roof over their heads! Just kidding, kind of. Anyway, they are loyal to the Fins even though they are 20 and 16 years old. This means they were not even on this planet the last time Miami won a playoff game. The dwindling local fanbase could be simply that the Dolphins have not done a lot of winning over the last couple of decades.

My neighbor’s son who was born and raised in Pembroke Pines is a Patriots fan. He is in his mid-20s now. I ask him all the time why not he is not a Dolfan, he simply says they never won when he was a kid. So, is this the thinking of a lot of young football fans these days? With technology, it is very easy to follow out-of-market teams. It is that much easier to become a bandwagon fan.

I feel that the Dolphins fan base is not dwindling but simply spread across the nation. I can’t really figure out the lack of ratings but those are my thoughts! Now, tell me your thoughts on the strength of the Dolphins fan base!

Test that Dolphins IQ!!!! Take some quizzes on the Fins!