For the second straight year the Miami Dolphins have found themselves atop the NFLPA’s Team Report Cards. The report card has grades out of 100 from F- (49 and below) through A+ (97-100) which are awarded to teams based on the responses from anonymous surveys. The report tracks 11 categories, here’s how Miami fared on each.
Treatment of Families – A
Food/Dining – A+
Nutritionist/Dietician – A+
Locker Room – A+
Training Room – A
Training Staff – A
Weight Room – A+
Strength Coaches – A+
Team Travel – A+
Head Coach – A+
Ownership – A+
These grades are so good that they would impress even the strictest parent had you brought them home on a report card. Indeed as a fan I’m impressed and a bit proud to see that the Dolphins provide their players with the very best facilities and experts to keep them healthy. It comes as little surprise as Owner Stephen Ross has consistently spent money on redeveloping Hard Rock stadium to make the experience better for the fans and players. Just last August, the Dolphins unveiled a locker room renovation, which undoubtedly led to their A+ score there.
This followed a major stadium renovation from 2015-2016 which as this sunlifestadium.com article lays out saw these additions.
“Open air canopy to provide shade/cover, Brand new seats in the entire stadium, Completely renovated concourses and concessions, Brand new suites, Several brand new/unique seating & club options for fans, businesses and families, 4 new high-definition video boards in each corner of the stadium”
As they say “you have to spend money to make money” and these renovations were privately funded to the tune of $350 million. The remaking of the stadium and facilities have helped turn the $1.1 billion investment Ross made when he bought the team into a $6.1 billion current evaluation.
Unfortunately, they also say “money can’t buy happiness,” and that has proven true during Ross’ tenure as owner. Despite the amenities and improvements, the Dolphins have only managed to post a record of 135-141. It’s frustrating as a fan to see teams like the Bengals, who had an F- in Treatment of Families and an F in Food/Dining Area, make it to the Super Bowl in 2021, or the Kansas City Chiefs receive a D- for their Locker Room while going to three straight Super Bowls.
To conclude these report cards are a mixed bag, of course I want the team to be well represented and the players to be happy. However it feels very “off season champions” in the same way that the Dolphins occasionally win the offseason by making splashy free agent signings or trades. I’m ready for the Dolphins to be champions during the regular season or at least win a playoff game, something they haven’t done for 24 seasons and counting.
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