Last week I asked the following question about the Miami Dolphins fan base’s take on media bias against the team:
If you ever did in the first place, do you believe that the national media still shows utter disrespect for the Miami Dolphins, and if so, do you believe that this is deserved, earned, or just regional bias against a team that resides in a place that most of them wish they could actually live?
Below are some of your takes and answers to the PQOTD-
TheRoo1 believes that herd mentality or
just plain old lazy has something to do with negative stories being repeatedly parroted.
There are several reasons, the primary or routine one is,,,
I believe it stems from laziness. Most scribblers out there seem to wait for an article to come out from an “approved” source, and then they parrot it, without ever being the least bit skeptical about it. They dont run into any risk of being wrong because, “Everyone else thought that too.” And they are rewarded with the affirmation of their peers. All while doing the least amount of work possible.
The less frequent reason is self inflicted by the Phins, Media folks take the easy road when the team, or a member does something stupid that the media people know it’s safe to criticize, “Bullygate” Tyreeks weekly episode in Law enforcement interactions, or on something safe because “The entire league condemn’s it.” ie the tampering stories. The entire league may well be guilty of doing it, but,,,,, “We all hate Miami anyway/” is the predominant feeling, so condemning it is again “safe”.
It’s the same everywhere in media, the same stories, often using quotes from each other with little to no skepticism.
JUK makes the same argument that I have always made. The best way to not be criticized for sucking is to not suck.
We haven’t won a playoff game in over a quarter of a century. What are they supposed to be respecting. If we start winning the credit will come
Dave21 says if you want the narrative to change then get off your arse and go change it.
This will be the narrative until we change it. We have done nothing to prove it should be anything else than what it has been for a while. About 3 years ago it changed for about 10 games and then we lost a bunch of games at the end of the season and proved we were still what they said we were in the first place. You are what you were, until you prove otherwise .
SlayerNation1 says there’s not hunger for positive Dolphins coverage because of the situation that they caused.
I double checked Google Maps, NYJ, NYG, Mets are all still in the Northeast and get rightfully ripped by the media at large.
This is an entertainment product, so if You don’t “move the needle” you’re nonexistent.
Note: I didn’t state “You need to win big”. Dallas will always move the needle, record be damned.
It is immaterial why people will watch or consume, only matters that they do.
There is zero appetite for the Dolphins.
They have barely whetted the appetite of local media and diehard fans.
Dolfanjoe says if you want things to be different then do things differently.
Grier’s rebuild got us to the playoff’s. The media was forced to put a little attention our way. Very short lived as it was we saw some attention good or bad. Miami has not been relevant in so many years for the sports writers of other teams to even really care enough to see what is happening in our neck of the woods ! We had more coverage with our Offensive line relationship problems than with the play of our personal ! We for most of the last 30 years have been mediocre at best ! And now in a complete rebuild again, we garnish little to no attention whatsoever. Unless there is a sudden turnaround in 27, expect little to no attention from the National Media at all for the next couple of years. Local reporters have every right to pick this team apart until some of the new players shine enough to do some in depth reporting on them !
SOD1961 says win to change the narrative.
Considering how for a while now, they have embarrassed themselves playing in prime time games, it’s no surprise the team has little respect from the media. If they want to change that, start winning.
PA phinphan believes it’s partly jealousy coupled with self inflicted wounds.
Like James, I remember when there was repeated positivity for the Dolphins. In the late 70s and 80s, they had one of the top five winning percentages in the major four sports.
Currently, I believe there are a number of reasons for the apparent negative bias.
1. A quarter century of ineptitude, it’s easy to kick a horse when it’s down.
2. The yearly celebration when the last undefeated team loses. I’ve heard many “journalists” announce their distaste for it.
3. Negativity gets the clicks in this day and age of technology.
4. Possibly jealousy, Miami has some of the best facilities in the NFL, warm weather, and no state taxes.
5. A lack of effort of the media to really investigate or put serious thoughts into what is really happening. For example, it’s easy to just say Malik Willis isn’t the answer because he only has 6 starts. He only looked good because of LaFleur. Yet, Malik took it upon himself to get help before he left Tennessee. He showed improvement before LaFleur had enough time to improve him. He was with GB 11 days before he played.
I don’t care what the overall opinion is of the so-called experts. My opinion is, always has been, and will always be the same. The Dolphins are my favorite team. And every year is another chance to prove the naysayers wrong. I mean it’s got to happen soon right🤷♂️
Go Phins!!
MiamiItaliano says there is a well earned bias.
Yes there is a bias. The national media assume the Dolphins will do nothing relevant in the upcoming season. Since 2003, there’s only been 4 winning seasons in 22 years. So the national media has mostly been right in the past about Miami irrelevance. Hopefully this year, the Dolphins can surprise us. But looking at the roster, I’m seeing maybe 7 games as wins this year.
Jptapt it’s like everything else, it’s all about the dollar!
I don’t know if it’s so much that the media hates the dolphins, as much as it is the media companies love money. They will follow the money.
Dolphster say’s its true but you get what you earn.
I think there is definitely a media bias against the Dolphins and a general lack of respect for the team. Sadly, it is pretty much warranted these days.
SuperG! says the media just does not care about the Phins due to irrelevancy.
Does the national media hate the Dolphins? I don’t know about that. You need relevancy to be hated. I think the question should be if the national media has any respect for the Dolphins. The answer to that is “yes” because they are irrelevant to the point the media doesn’t care about them.
dolfan70 says if you want respect then go out and earn it.
Sports journalism generally focuses on championship viability rather than regional jealousy. The narrative that the media disrespects Miami is often a classic sports trope used by fanbases to build an “us against the world” mentality. The skepticism from national outlets is largely considered earned by NFL analysts because the team has yet to prove it can win high-stakes games in January. When the team wins in the postseason, the national media narrative invariably shifts.Basically we have to earn the respect and cannot live off of our undefeated season any more.
krammm is another that says they just don’t really care.
Hate generally occurs when you don’t like something but you can’t get away from it. A song you hear too much. A person (boss, relative, neighbor etc.) you can’t get away from. The Cowboys being on TV all the time.
Local fans who don’t like the Fins but always see them on TV might be a candidate for hate. I saw that as a kid growing up here. People who couldn’t get away from the winning Dolphins and their fans.
Hate is the opposite of love. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or as I say. Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder. When you like something but you miss it or can’t get enough of it you can grow to love it.
If you don’t like something but can get away from it the hate doesn’t build up. I think the national crowd and media find it very easy to get away from the Dolphins since we’re hardly on TV or relevant anymore. So they don’t care.
FLexile asks a question. Yes, the Jets suck no matter what their record is.
Is the media disrespectful to the Jets too? Or do they just suck?
Phins1972 says the media will still focus on the Dolphins down moments and who cares anyway!
I’ve learned to tune out the media. Most of them know less about the Dolphins than the average fan. And when it comes to 2026 predictions, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume the win total will be low. This roster has more unanswered questions than most of the teams projected to finish near the bottom.
Despite the euphoric delusion from fans whose only requirement for a quarterback was “anyone but Tua,” the Dolphins QB situation is a complete unknown. I’m pessimistic that Willis is the answer but time will tell. Achane is the only legitimate star on offense. On defense, the only players you can argue are truly high‑end talents are Brooks and maybe Sieler — and Sieler’s down year was understandable given he spent the season surrounded by rookies.
I fully expect whatever few highs this team produces in 2026 to be brushed aside, while every low gets dissected to death. That’s the media cycle. And honestly, I couldn’t care less what they do.
That’s our random fifteen comments for this evening. If you missed the original discussion you can find it HERE. It seems as if the majority, at least on this site, agree with me. The majority of the lack of respect comes from the fact that the team has done little over a very long period of time to earn any respect. Lets all pray that things are going to finally turn around on that front. As with all of these posts I would like to thank each of you who took the time to join in on the discussion.
