Dolphins fan debate; it’s not o.k. to root for the team to lose

The Miami Dolphins have riled up their fan base by losing this year. On one side of the fence are fans who tout their undying devotion to the team and on the other are fans who want the team to lose to better their draft position.

This social media debate has stirred up quite a lot of emotions but the question is are you less of a fan for wanting the team to lose? No, not really. In reality I would bet that most fans don’t actually root for the team to lose a game but instead fall into a different category that is simply taken a bit of context.

For me, I never root for the Dolphins to lose but I do fall into that lesser category and here is why. I don’t get angry when they lose now. Not this late in the season when the playoffs are an afterthought. I have maintained for years that the difference between the post-season teams and the teams that don’t make the playoffs is about 10 draft spots. So why is that important?

If a team is competing for a post-season birth than losing is hard to stomach. Especially when they lose out by one or two more wins. Games that were close that the Dolphins gave away. This year it’s different. There is no singular game that you can put a finger on and say, “if the Dolphins would have won this they would be a playoff team”.

On Sunday I will be rooting for the Dolphins to win. I have to. They are my team and I would rather they win than lose on any Sunday, Monday, or Thursday. It is not in my blood to root against the team.

Some on social media are making it known that they hope Miami loses, I won’t name names. Their point is clear. Losing means a better draft position. A better draft position means the potential for a franchise changing player. Guess what? You can root for the team to win and still be able to breathe if they lose.

If the Dolphins lose then I can take to the comfort of the draft position to quell my anger and dissatisfaction with the way the team played. I can handle the disappointment by knowing that the benefit may show itself in April. Losing is a hard pill to swallow regardless of draft positioning.

The arguments however come from those fans that simply can’t fathom anyone rooting against the Dolphins and still calling themselves fans. I personally find it hard to believe that any fan would root for the Dolphins to lose in order to gain a draft spot. It would be easier to believe if the team was say one game out of a sweepstakes that could be the difference between an Andrew Luck type and a Robert Griffin, III. We have been there and seen it.

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But rooting for them to lose? I can’t and won’t speak for any fan. Everyone has their own way of supporting a franchise and those that vehemently decline to root for a loss or even swallow the bitter pill of a loss with the notion that a better draft pick can be obtained have every right to question the loyalty of a fan who adamantly declares they are rooting against them.

What I do question is whether those fans truly root for the team to lose. I can’t comprehend any fan who roots for that but I’m not walking in their shoes, or rather party to their brains way of thinking.

So I will pose the question to you. Can you root for the Dolphins to lose? If so why? Can you understand why anyone would and is that person still a fan if they do? If so why? We have a comment section so let us know. Tell me on Twitter @Txmedic5 or on our Facebook page.

On Sunday I will bleed aqua and orange and if the team loses, I will be pissed off for an hour or so and then I will check the NFL league standings at day’s end to see if the Dolphins climbed higher in the draft order. And I will take some comfort in knowing that by losing maybe we can turn it into a positive. But no, this fan will not root for them to lose. Ever.