Steve Ross: Buying Miami Dolphins wasn't "shrewd investment"
Long time sports business consultant Rick Horrow interviewed his friend Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross for Tuesday’s installment of his new national sports business show The $ports Take, asking Ross if he overpaid when he spent $1.1 billion for 95 percent of the team and Land Shark Stadium.
“Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t call it a shrewd investment, I didn’t steal it certainly,” Ross said on the show, scheduled to air on Versus at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. (The show is repeated at 4 p.m. on Wednesday). “ Many people would think I overpaid when you look back with 20/20 hindsight, especially in today’s market.”
But Ross told Horrow “I’m having more fun in doing something I’ve always wanted to do, in an environment like this. I don’t think a lot of people can say that, so I feel very lucky to really own the Miami Dolphins. I think there is a lot of opportunity there, I believe.”
Ross also repeated his mantra about celebrities, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Venus and Serena Williams, who have joined his ownership group as limited partners.
“They represent the community. I wanted to show that the Miami Dolphins were about all of South Florida,” Ross said. “And I wanted everyone to be able to identify with the ownership of the Miami Dolphins. So I think that if you look at the celebrity owners, as they have been labeled, you’ll feel that. And what they’re doing, their excitement for owning part of an NFL team, and being involved and actively engaged in the community.”


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Comments
I hear Shania Twain will be the next celebrity owner so she can sing "That dont impress me much." after every Dolphin home loss.
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Posted by: cheap supra | September 15, 2009 10:59 PM
Just before the national anthem, why not have that steroid laden, muscle bulging she-male Serena Williams come out on the 50 yard line? She can face the visitors' bench and threaten to shove a f***ing football down their f***ing throats. Very manly sounding. Oh say can you see..........
Posted by: Mike Hunt | September 15, 2009 10:38 PM
Not to worry, he'll sell it to some other schmuck as he comes down the pike someday. Hey Ethan, how about a piece on why the Packers are still in Green Bay, the last of the original franchises, and why the Colts are in Indy, the Rams have been everywhere and so on.
Posted by: Harry | September 15, 2009 3:38 PM
Not to worry, he'll sell it to some other schmuck as he comes down the pike someday. Hey Ethan, how about a piece on why the Packers are still in Green Bay, the last of the original franchises, and why the Colts are in Indy, the Rams have been everywhere and so on.
Posted by: Harry | September 15, 2009 3:32 PM
You heard Mr Ross himself say it. He wants the ownership of the Dolphins to reflect the community.
I agree with the post by Michael. If you let the fans own a share than they will feel like they are more than just an ordinary fan.
I have a website called BuytheFins.com. Our mission is to unite fans of the Miami Dolphins who want fans to have a slice of the pie. Like the folks in Green Bay do. I am working on updating the site and our new goal is going to be a %1 share of the Dolphins for starters.
Overall I think Ross made a decent deal. He should have gotten the stadium, all the land around the stadium that Wayne ownes, and 100% of the Dolphins. If Ross did not make the deal than BuytheFins.com would have been able to generate enough members to buy the team by now. Since Mr Ross has anounced that he is selling minority shares people have been coming back to my site.
When I created the vision called BuytheFins.com I stated that there would be a few celebrities and other well to do people that would have 1%-2% shares in combination with thousands of other fans.
Posted by: Stan | September 15, 2009 12:57 PM
You know what would be a shrewd business move....sell the team! As a longtime Dolphins fan, I'm already sick of this guy using our Dolphins for his own rich guy fantasy world.
Sell. Sell! Sell!!!!
Posted by: mike | September 15, 2009 12:48 PM
See these comments Stevie?
That's EXACTLY how 99.99% of the community feels.
Now don't make me shove this tennis ball down your f*cking throat!
;)
Who will deliver Serena her K-1 btw? Better not be any errors.
Posted by: Wayne | September 15, 2009 11:32 AM
Hear, hear, Patrick. Ross has no concept of what S.Fla. is and probably never will.
Wonder what he thinks about Serena's "performance" Sunday?
Posted by: cocoajoe | September 15, 2009 10:14 AM
Looking back, it's too bad Huizenga sold the team when he did. He brought in Parcells to rebuild the team.He finished the stadium improvements.And showed he was serious about football, by renaming the stadium Dolphin.
Posted by: TCB | September 15, 2009 10:02 AM
Patrick: well said.Last year there were tens of thousands of empty seats at the games. It will be the same or worse this year with the economy here, the worst in the country.Does Ross really believe someone who didn't go to a game before, will now go,because of the celebrity partners? He is most likely, further alienating oldtime fans, with the celebrity nonesense, and the selling of the stadium name.
Posted by: Crazy Eddie | September 15, 2009 9:56 AM
Someone please hand-deliver Patrick's post to Steve Ross?!
Well said dude.
Posted by: Anthony | September 15, 2009 9:09 AM
Sarah, I got a good chuckle out of Ross actually thinking the fans care one iota about his “community celebrities.” I’m sure living in the top .01 percentile of the earth’s population gives one a perspective the common folk cannot begin to comprehend, but let’s try a few observations from the bottom .01 percentile. Ever wonder what happened to the maniacal fans that used to wave white hankies and cheer so loud the opposing QB could not get plays off? They can no longer afford to go the games… Ever wonder what happened to the fans that used stand for the entire fourth quarter of close games and not get told to sit down by the folks behind them? They can no longer afford to go the games… Ever wonder what happened to the folks that used to plan tailgate parties for a week before the game and leave 6 hours early to make sure they got parked in the right spot so everyone knew where to meet up? They can no longer afford to go the games… Ever wonder what happened to the fan that could drink a reasonably priced beer and hotdog at the stadium? They can no longer afford to go the games… Ever wonder why the crowds at the games seem so antiseptic? The real fans can no longer afford to go…
So, if Mr. Ross plans to fill the stadium with his community celebrities that would be a good thing because then they wouldn’t need to hide in their sky boxes. They can come out and mingle with those of their kind and not worry about the common folk interrupting their private love fest for an autograph. After all, the way things are going, they will be the only ones who can afford to go to the games anyway and we can pay to watch them on TV. Think about it, Mr. Ross can have the biggest celebrity party on TV with Paris Hilton and Madonna parading around during breaks in the action. Maybe he can build a glass wall around the playing field so the celebrities do not have to smell the grass and be in the same space as those brutes on the field…
Earth to Ross, Earth to Ross… We don’t care about your community celebrities we like to watch a reasonably priced football game and nothing else.
Posted by: Patrick | September 15, 2009 7:49 AM
Who gives a flying turd ! This nation is in the toilet !
Posted by: CCMooreButte | September 15, 2009 6:03 AM
Who gives a flying turd ! This country is in the toilet !
Posted by: CCMooreButte | September 15, 2009 6:01 AM
What's wrong with this asshole?
Posted by: Phil Urassen | September 15, 2009 1:56 AM
Can the MC Hammer circus of the Dirty Birds really be far behind? You want to put people in the seats? Keep tradition like the Phins fight song, don't sell the stadium name every year (honor Joe Robbie), reduce the overpriced tix and just win. That's it. You want to kiss butt with celebrities, go manage a boy band.
Posted by: mek67 | September 14, 2009 11:41 PM
They represent the community? This guy must be from another planet. You want to have the community represented you sell a hundred bucks of stock to a cab driver, five hundred to a school teacher not a million to Estefan and Buffet. You must think the fans are idiots. Party on with your new friends but trust me no sports fan gives a hoot. If the "fins win we love you. If they lose take your "community" celebrities and leave town.
Posted by: Michael | September 14, 2009 11:17 PM
I hear Shania Twain will be the next celebrity owner so she can sing "That dont impress me much." after every Dolphin home loss.
Posted by: Average Joe | September 14, 2009 10:28 PM
Oh Boo f-ing hoo you won't lose money. A 300k supercar is not a great investment either, but as you said its a toy you can have fun with and you can obviously afford it.
So either you are saying wayne rippped you off or you are a moron...Which is it?
Posted by: shaggy | September 14, 2009 9:13 PM
Sarah when are you and the Sun-Sentinel going to defend the papers Broward County/Ft. Lauderdale roots and stand up for your community. You have yet to mention the sign at the stadium that states they are relocating the Dolphins Corp offices to the Stadium and Dade County. They are leaving Broward Sarah and you don't mentioned it. And I have not heard how much $ the new owners invested, if anything. At a Marlins game this weekend I saw lots of signs but could not find a Landshark beer for sale from a stadium vendor. You and your Editorial Board should ask a hard question once and awhile.
Posted by: Jimmy N | September 14, 2009 7:47 PM
In one respect it was a shrewd move. Purchasing 95% of the Dolphins and the venue with "THE SUPER BOWL" coming to town at the end of this season will help one heck of alot.
I believe some of his other "Celebrity" may have dulled some of the luster for many long time fans but possibly enhanced it in other ways.
There is NO doubt it is most definitely one of the better clubs and stadiums to purchase with tons of potential in the future.
Rick
Posted by: Rick | September 14, 2009 7:08 PM
“They represent the community. I wanted to show that the Miami Dolphins were about all of South Florida,” Ross said.
They aren't "all" about South Florida you know...there are many fans like myself that live outside of the South Florida community that consider themselves fans of the Miami Dolphins; I hope Steven Ross eventually realizes this. It costs me more every year in ordering Miami Dolphin stuff online and buying tickets to fly down there to attend a game than it does for the average south Florida fan. Fans like myself spend big bucks to be fans! I wish I could walk into my local Walmart and see Miami Dolphin stuff on the shelves like other fans in South Florida! Nope, instead I see the New England Patriots! It makes me sick to my stomach!
Posted by: cimbus | September 14, 2009 6:26 PM
I wouldn't call it shrewd either, I call it really dumb!
Posted by: Bill Jones | September 14, 2009 6:17 PM