Apathy (noun): (1) lack of feeling or emotion; (2) lack of interest or concern; impassiveness, indifference. The worst thing that can happen to an NFL franchise is for the fan base to reach a point where apathy is the dominating emotion surrounding the team. On Sunday, the Dolphins reached that point.
It no longer feels like fans are supporting the team. It no longer feels like fans are angry about what they are seeing. The fans are indifferent. There is a lack of interest in the team. The Miami Dolphins no longer matter.
In South Florida, the Dolphins reign supreme. Ask former Florida/Miami Marlins president David Samson – even as the Marlins won their second World Series, the Dolphins still dominated South Florida. The Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers have multiple NBA and NHL championships, respectively, but South Florida has always been a Dolphins town first.
Until now.
Even when the fans were angry, it was because they cared. They wanted more. They wanted the Dolphins to matter to the NFL. They wanted to beat the New England Patriots dynasty. They wanted to stop the Buffalo Bills from dominating the AFC East. They wanted to consistently destroy the New York Jets.
The Dolphins mattered.
Now, the fans want to watch something else. They want to talk about something else. They want to do something else.
The past tense matters.
The Dolphins have completely fallen apart. They are playing like a team lost on the field and among themselves. They do not look like a group of professionals playing the sport with pride and looking to win. They look like a team going through the motions and hoping the final 11 weeks of the season will go by quickly so they can move on from this team, this franchise, this apathy.
This is franchise has two Super Bowl championships. This franchise is the only one in league history to have a Perfect Season. This was once the winningest franchise in the league.
Now, they are the team a rookie quarterback on a 1-5 team can dominate. They are the team every other team wants to face. They are the team who simply no longer matter.
Before the Dolphins’ Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Miami owner Stephen Ross was not planning to fire head coach Mike McDaniel, believing he could turn things around. The caveat, however, was that “If fans stop showing up to the stadium, or if players stop playing for him, that could alter the situation.”
Apathetic fans do not attend football games. There are better things to do on a Sunday afternoon, especially in South Florida. There are better teams to watch on TV. There are other sports to watch. There are shows missed during the week to binge.
This is not about flying banners over the stadium. This is not about booing the team from the stands. This is not about making a statement about the team.
Because fans that do those things still care. They are not happy, but they care.
It is when those things stop that you know the team is in trouble. That is when changes have to be made.
Dolphins fans are reaching the apathy mark. Something have to change immediately if the Dolphins are not going to lose the fan base altogether.
Hopefully, it is not too late. Hopefully, the fans can come back when the team puts a product worth watching out on the field. Losing a well-fought game is one thing. Being blown out 31-6 by the Browns is a completely different thing. Something needs to change, or else the fans are going to move on and Ross will quickly learn what it means when fans stop showing up.
Because the Dolphins matter.
Or, at least they used to.
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