Recently, South Florida sports reached a peak that we’ve never seen before. In March, the men’s and women’s Miami Hurricanes basketball teams reached the Final Four of their respective tournaments, joined by the FAU Owls in the men’s tournament. All three teams lost before making the championship game, but the love the teams received for making it as far as they did was ever-present. The high from the college tournament was starting to go away until the playoffs for both the NBA and NHL began. The Miami Heat and Florida Panthers both entered the playoffs as the 8th seed, and neither was expected to make it out of the first round.
The Heat and Panthers ran almost parallel to each other as they both took down the number 1 seed to advance to the next round. Despite being the underdog in the playoffs as a whole and in each series they played, both teams found their way to the Finals. Ultimately, this magical run came to an end as the Heat fell 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets, and the Panthers fell 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights. Fans of both teams still applauded as just making it to the Finals against all odds was enough to cheer for, which brings me to my question to Dolphins Fans; how would we feel if the Dolphins made it to the Super Bowl but lost?
The Dolphins are 2-3 in Super Bowls all time, meaning some of the older fans have already felt the pain of losing on the NFL’s biggest stage, but for my generation, who was born after our last Super Bowl appearance, just seeing the Dolphins play in that game would send chills down my spine. However, I don’t know if I could stomach the agony of defeat. I do consider myself a Miami Heat fan, and I’ve now witnessed them lose in the Finals twice in the last three years (2020 and 2023), and it leaves a sickening disappointment but still a sense of pride as you realize you’re a fan of a team that can make it to the championship game. The Panthers are a team I’ve started watching recently, so watching them make it but lose doesn’t hurt as much, but it still leaves me sad as a South Florida resident.
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The Miami Dolphins, for me, is a different animal because football is my favorite sport, and the Dolphins are the team I follow most closely and passionately, hence why you’re reading articles by me. I’m sure there are many fans like me, and I’m curious; would we feel pride in our team making it that far just to fall short? Would we be upset that we couldn’t get over that hump? Would we feel confident that we could make it there again? Seeing Dan Marino make the Super Bowl in his second season with the Dolphins for the older generation must have brought great hope, but as we know, Marino would never return to play in the Super Bowl again.
I think fans should always be glad that their team made it all the way; win or lose, I believe it’s an accomplishment. Out of 32 teams, your team was one of the final two remaining, which is something to cheer for. I believe being proud yet disappointed is both possible, and that probably sums up how it would feel.
I guess the true answer will only be revealed if the time comes. I’m hoping that if we do make it all the way, this question will not need to be readdressed. Stay tuned for my next article, where I will ask a much better question; how would a Super Bowl win feel?
