At times, it gets lost in the shuffle that, at its core, sports is just a game after all. In 1869, when the first football game was played, the idea wasn't about creating a billion-dollar industry that would go on to essentially print cash. It wasn't about contracts, salary caps, rule changes, holdouts, or any of the other concepts that naturally came to light with the commercialization of the sport. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is well known for his philanthropy, but he still benefits greatly from owning an NFL team.
This isn't to criticize the NFL either. The partnership between players and ownership to create a game that millions of people all around the world care for so deeply while enriching themselves beyond many folks' wildest dreams is the ultimate American come-up story. From the early days of franchises not knowing whether they'd be able to keep the lights on the next season to where we are now is almost miraculous when you think about it. Nonetheless, it's important to stop and smell the roses sometimes. In this case, the roses are the purity of sports at their core.
One place where you can find this idea in action is in the Special Olympics. According to their official site, the Special Olympics' mission is to "provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community." It truly doesn't get better than that.
The Miami Dolphins continue to support the Special Olympics, with the kind of gesture that lasts a lifetime
The Miami Dolphins organization has always supported the Special Olympics, and on Tuesday, they actually took it a step further and invited 40 Olympians to practice and spend some time with Dolphins rookies. A heartwarming tradition actually got taken up another notch, if you could believe it.
Quarterback Malik Willis, running back Ollie Gordon, center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, and cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. each descended on the Brightline station in Fort Lauderdale to see the Olympians off as they voyaged to Orlando for the Special Olympics State Summer Games. Among those competing is Josh, a member of the Dolphins' equipment staff.
Developments like these are what sports are all about. It's something Dolphins fans can take pride in that not only does their organization support these athletes, but the players do too. The world has more than enough bad in it to keep people up at night on a day-to-day basis. Something like this, though? Simply perfect.
Before Willis and his teammates were playing the sport as a career, they presumably signed up to have fun, join a team, and burn some of that youthful energy positively. To see that success on the field hasn't made them forget the starting point of it all is what begins to make the players feel familiar and relatable. The Dolphins' mass exodus of 2026 has led to many fans feeling unattached to new players they're not nearly as connected with.
If this awesome gesture is any indication, the Dolphins are targeting players with great talent on the field and excellent character off it. Phins alllllllll the way up!
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