Why it will take years to see Miami Dolphins in throwbacks permanently

This weekend the Miami Dolphins will wear their throwback jerseys and fans want to see a return of those jerseys permanently. It won’t happen soon.

Earlier this week Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel tweeted that the Miami Dolphins will be in their throwback uniforms the next two weekends. That had fans begging for a permanent change to the uniforms but that isn’t going to happen. Not any time soon at least.

There are several reasons why this will not happen despite the fact that fans and some in the organization want to see it. Yes, there are some within the team that want these uniforms but they will remain nameless.

First of all Miami will have to wait five years after tweaking their uniforms this past off-season. The Dolphins made a big deal of the color changes that brought a more true color concept to the uniforms. It was a marriage of the old with the new. Because of those changes, the Dolphins, under NFL rules will need to wait five years before they can change them but they can petition for a change four years after their last change. Make sense?

No other uniform that the Dolphins wear brings out more support from the fan base but let’s look at another reason that a return to the old uniforms won’t happen soon. That is money.

Back in mid-2012 I attended an event at the Miami Dolphins headquarters. Myself and a bunch of other web writers were shown clips of what the Dolphins were hoping to do with the surrounding area of what is now Hard Rock Stadium. This included a water park of all things. In charge of all this was then CEO Mike Dee.

Dee stood at the front of the Dolphins team meeting room and showed a video of what they were looking at doing in the years ahead but there was at the time rumors swirling that Miami was making a change to their logo. Dee answered questions about this saying that the new logo was approved visually by Dan Marino and that the new look would make the former Dolphins uniforms and logo a collector’s item. He was as giddy as a school child talking about it.

Mike Dee was a big part of the logo change and in 2013, after a leak by the DolfansNYC group, the Dolphins and Stephen Ross held an unveiling party at the stadium where they introduced the new logo. It wasn’t met with the giddy smiles that Mike Dee had when talking about it.

The fan base reactions were mixed and while some loved it others hated the “whale” logo. Now every year we are reminded of just how awesome the original logo and colors were.

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Changing the logo, as I mentioned above has a lot to do with money. While merchandise sales would likely go through the roof if it were re-introduced consider that anything with the retro look already is on sale at the team shops. But Ross would have to go more than just merchandise.

The current logo is everywhere. On the building at the team training center. At the stadium. The locker room has a huge logo on the floor. The signage around the stadium, in the corridors and tunnels, at the food pavilions, parking lot, even the bathrooms. Wherever there is a Dolphins logo, that would need to be changed, yet again. It isn’t an easy trade out.

Would Ross consider switching to the originals to simply appease the fans when it will cost so much to do so? Not likely. And that isn’t really a knock on him for not doing so. It’s more reality.

I have attended games where the Dolphins are wearing their current uniforms and I have attended games during throwback weekend and I can tell you there is a different feel to the crowd and look of the stadium especially the logo on the field. There is a sense of going back in time to better days and those uniforms represent a tradition of excellence that the new logo hasn’t found yet.

Of course Miami Dolphins fans still want to know if they will see the old Miami Dolphins logo return permanently. Here is your answer if you are looking for one. The Dolphins are building a state of the art complex adjacent to the stadium grounds that will house the team, training facility, practice fields, and business offices. It is supposed to open around 2021 which is four years from now.

When this construction gets underway pay attention to what is being placed on the building in hard to remove places or in areas that are not easily or cheaply replaced. If the current logo starts to appear in those spots, there is no chance to see a change. At least not while Stephen Ross owns the team.

The good news at least is that the Dolphins recognize the love of the old uniform and continue to wear it each season and the current logo looks better than it did a year ago. Of course if the Dolphins start winning, that new logo will gain its own history.