Miami Dolphins Gator Day PR Brilliance

Oh Stephen Stephen Stephen,

Where do I begin to describe the absolute debacle that Gator Day at Sunlife Stadium on October 23rd was? Well, on the field, I suppose I can start here...

However, Gator Day was a debacle, well before Tim Tebow, turned his chicken sh*t performance into chicken soup and lead the Denver Broncos to a 18-15 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

This charade all started when Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, CEO Mike Dee and his marketing team brainstormed the idea in mid August to celebrate a national championship team for their October 23rd home game against the Denver Broncos. They conceived the gimmick in an attempt to draw attention away from a 2010 Dolphins squad that went a paltry 1-7 at home... yes at home! Surely, celebrating a national championship of the hometown University of Miami Hurricanes would deliver a feel-good moment to draw fans to the game. The Hurricanes have at least won a championship since Watergate, unlike the once 17-0 Miami Dolphins.

So which championship Hurricanes team was it? 1987, 1991 or 2001.

Oh, it's not the Miami Hurricanes championship teams that were going to be celebrated but the 2009 in-state RIVAL University of Florida Gators championship team.

Well, at least this would present an opportunity to honour Tim Tebow, iconic Floridian quarterback that led U of F to two national championship. Tebow is the most polarizing player currently in the NFL, how great an idea is it to honour this demigod upon his first NFL start of the 2011 season! Perhaps he could lead the winless Dolphins to their first victory of the season and their first home victory in 5 attempts.

Tim Tebow's legacy in Florida on display

Oh, Tebow doesn't play for the Miami Dolphins? No, Tebow, despite in his first fifty-five minutes of play, setting back quarterback play fifty years or so, was once again a hero in the state his name holds more reverance than Barack Obama. Tebow led the OPPOSING Denver Broncos to a 18-15 win, dropping the hapless Dolphins to an all too familiar 0-6 start. The final sounds of the afternoon were the chants of "Tebow, Tebow" echoing throughout Sunlife Stadium. Yes, the opposing quarterback received more adulation than the Miami Dolphins QB or anyone in aqua and orange that afternoon.

As I try to remove my twenty-five-year fandom of the Miami Dolphins and evaluate this public relations/marketing promotion as a PR practitioner, I come to the same conclusion that on and off the field; this once proud organization has officially lost their tradition. The tradition of the Miami Dolphins was their best PR message and now it's gone. They are only one step away from Charlie Sheen Day at Sunlife Stadium.

Here's a message to Stephen Ross: no gimmick, no PR campaign, no promotion can ever replace winning. I understand the challenges of attracting fans, especially those in South Beach, to come support a product that loses twice as many games at home than it wins, but the sounds of your crowd cheering the opposing team and growing apathetic towards your team is far worse than one or two blackouts in a season.

There have been several instances in professional sports, over the past twenty-five years, where proud, winning franchises have endured losing seasons. However, they let the tradition of the franchise speak for itself. That Miami Dolphins tradition is lost and unless they get "Lucky" in 2012, Don Shula will continue to introduce himself as the former coach of the Baltimore Colts (I'm Joking!).