Ross to unveil new era for attracting Dolfans

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has called a 4 p.m. "informal meeting" with the media at which he is expected to announce subtle but important changes to the way the Dolphins do business with their fans and media, according to a source close to Ross.

Ross, who has been searching for investors to become minority owners in the team, may unveil some of the names of the people involved on that front.

The source said Thursday afternoon that Ross has been speaking to several people in the entertainment industry. Singer Jimmy Buffett, a Key West resident, and Miami Sound Machine founder Emilio Estefan are among the entertainment people Ross has discussed including in his ownership group.

It is not known if Ross has signed letters of intent or has closed the sale of minority portions of the team with Buffett or Estefan.

Ross is expected to confirm he is getting advice from former U.S. Open chief and former United States Tennis Association CEO Arlen Kantarian. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue also has advised Ross but not in any official capacity.

Kantarian, who serves on the board of directors at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is said to be advising Ross on how to reach out to a broader range of fans on game days. Kantarian has been advising Ross to reach out to the "new media" and to turn the game day experience into one that entices more than hardcore Dolphins fans.

Kantarian, who was responsible for similar initiatives while running the U.S. Open, has advised Ross to expand the Dolphins fan reach to non-football fans and people visiting South Florida as well as living in the community. During Kantarian's tenure, the U.S. Open became the largest annually attended sporting event in the United States.

CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus told the New York Times that Kantarian has a "real promotional flair and flamboyance in presenting an event. The U.S. Open was always a big sporting event in New York, but now it's an 'in' entertainment and sports event."

Ross is said to want to take a similar step with Dolphins football games. He is expected to speak about that at the media gathering.

Ross will not touch the football operations side of the Dolphins. He understands football czar Bill Parcells does not need nor want the way the football side does business to be changed in any way.

But the new owner, who made his fortune as a commercial real estate developer, is expected to make the Dolphins game day experience and business side seem "glitzier," according to a source at HK Management, which represents Buffett.

The Dolphins are expected to become more celebrity friendly and more celebrities are expected to be invited to every home game. In that regard, Ross has enlisted the help of Bernie Yuman, who founded Say Entertainment Inc. (aka Bernie Yuman Management) in Henderson, Nev.

Yuman is best known for serving as the agent for the animal act Siegfried and Roy. He is also the manager for former boxer Muhammad Ali. Yuman (seen with Ross at a Dolphins home game last season) directed calls to his office back to the Dolphins public relations department, a clear indication he is connected to the team.

The Dolphins will soon unveil their marketing strategy for 2009, meant to push ticket sales and create buzz about the team. That could also happen as early as today.

Ross said in his last media availability that he is not raising ticket prices this coming season.

Comments

[Mr Bunglito]

Zombie boy. Maybe we can have VP biden come to the game and tell everbody how he knew prez roosevelt when he wasn't even the prez yet.

[souljahbeats]

Yeah the $33 seats are at the endzone on the 2cnd level... never sat there myself, but thats where they are...

[Maxx]

i have to clean my mama now, i will be back

[RexRyanSucks]

Luggi from Costa Rica = welfare parasite, unemployed loser.
Dont' accuse me of being someone else. And for God's sake, please get a job and get of the public titte.

[RexRyanSucks]

i have to go to take my MED now, i will be back w/jed in hand

[cuban menace]

Soulja, i once sat up there, man was it high, i saw what looked like angles floating below us , we were that far up, i know that it was going to be a haul to get up to that section when they assigned us 3 Sherpa's and 2 yaks, man i never want to take that hike again..

[RexRyanSucks]

OOPS, one more thing every time i come on this blog ,do you guys can smell the i bring w/ me

[souljahbeats]

haha, but don't you get drunk easier at that altitude?

[gort]

me can't spell. Do you guys can tell I little slow?

[RexRyanSucks]

bunglito in the air

[RexRyanSucks]

i love this...LOL

[RexRyanSucks]

Once again the unemployed parasite Luggi (or whoever he really) is is using my ID. The previous 2 posts were not me. Mando, I'll leave it up to you to deal with this. Obviously this twit is both too ignorant and weak to show himself for real. Come to think of it, he must be a Jets or Fagriots fan.

[gort]

every time i see you
every time i hear you
i smell something in the air
ROMANIA,MERCY

[Luggi from Costa Rica]

Gort,

Its ok my friend. Do you can tell I have problem with thinking and writing words too? We are very much alike, maybe we are related or have same learning disability. Bunglito are you there?

[cuban menace]

That's true soulja, then again getting a beer is hard as you can imagine..your fighting with your Sherpa's to get that last canister of oxygen, you really have no time for beer..

[Alien man]

rex,are you there?
ace,are you there?

[Alien man]

cuban, are you there?

[luggi]

REXRYANSUCKS. LOL. What's your job ? patroling this blog to see if your name pops up. it's amazing how you came on here as soon as your name was mentioned you F'n scum of the earth.

[not rex, ace, or alien]

lol. I got you going. Keep getting mad at Rex. You like your own medicine?

[Alien man]

alien man must be very sick man.

[RexRyanSucks]

Now I get it, Luggi is not only unemployed, but he's mentally challenged as well. Ergo, he's a Bills fan.

[Alien man]

i am playing with you stan

[Luggi]

Rexryansucks,

How do you can tell I have mental challenge? Can you see my picture or something? Even easy thing like spelling and chewing can be a challenge sometime.

[Alien man]

thank you alienman

[RexRyanSucks]

Luggi:

Go cash your welfare check. Then buy 2 40 ouncers, down them immediately and take a stroll on the causeway. I hear Donte Stallworth is out on bond, hopefully he'll find you.

[Alien man]

my name is stan AND can't take it any more

[Luggi]

There are 2 problems with that Rexryansucks. They don't sell 40 oz in Florida and the goverment wont let me buy alcohol with my foodstamps.

[george]

For those of you thinking that having celebrities around somehow diminishes the franchise perhaps you've forgotten the sight of Don Johnson quite literally standing on the sidelines during many, many games in the OB back in the 80s. It's not a big deal, folks.

[Alien man]

you always can sell your live stock,florida full of it,wait i forgot taking my MED

[Coach Belimidget]

My apolagies to Rex, but I love this name and have chosen to adopt it as my new ID.

I will be patrolling this blog to be sure no one is trashing my beloved Cheatriots.

Also, anyone have Tatoo's tel. #? I'd like to hire him so that I can finally be taller than someone. Thank you.

[gort]

luggi is lucky that he doesn't live in florida,where the crime rate near you at the top

[mark]

is RexRyanSucks a celebrity in florida?

[I got you]

Many Me, I am not stan, alien, rex, or ace, but keep guessing and keep getting mad. Its entertaining. You are too easy.

[gort]

noooooooo,he's not ,he's the sicko from florida

P.S........armando , if you don't want some one to write on here ,then come out and say without playing game, i swear,it's funny

[Luggi 2]

Rexryansucks. you talk alot of shyt hiding behind a computer. what don't you go down to the pork n' beans and let everbody know about you stereotypeing welfare people and drinking 40's . They'd kick your chickenshyt azzzzzzzzz. You would probably put up a better fight against the mentally challenged but i bet they kick your azzzzz too.

[bacala]

how you know that i am not having fun too dumbo?

[bacala]

thank you luggi 2,please tell me more

[RexRyanSucks]

LOL, now that's funny Luggi. I'm not hiding anywhere. I'll tear your's and any other redneck's head off you punk. Here in the northeast, you southerner's are viewed for what you really are: uneducated vermin, and extremely soft.

[keithmiller]

leave the Dolphins to the Parcells staff & do what ever you need to bring revenues to the stadium & ALL will be just fine!!!

[bacala]

wow ,these people talking to each other and i am the real liuggi not talking to them, any LOL ,tell me more please....WOWWWWOOOOOW

[Finsfan Ralph]

How's this for an idea? Pay the stars of pro wrestling to stand on the sidelines and dare Teddy Ginn Jr. to step out of bounds!

[gort]

great idea fin fan,plus it's more money for dolphins

[RexRyanSucks]

Tank you stan

[luggi from spaghetti]

Rexryansucks. You think your so smart and funny or thinking that your getting luggi mad. Yet you don't know who i am and look who's getting mad now.. I'm not from down south and I'll guarantee i'll lay you out with 1 shot. chickenshyt !

[Stan]

tank you RexRyanSucks

[Stan]

tank you luggi from macaroni

[bacala]

guys tell us more

[real luggi]

Come on fake luggi and who ever else, don't stop,tell us more

[carlito from golfito]

fake luggi is Jed. You can tell because he typed "AZZZZZZZ" in one of the posts like he always does.

[real luggi]

carlito, you got it 50 percent right but there's another 50 percent i am not going to say but it's really funny ,how 2 fake people go at it and not aware of that, i hop they will start a new round.

[carlito from golfito]

Luggi, please tell the other 50 percent. I have to go to work now and could use something funny to laugh at on the way.

[real luggi]

Carlito, i am sorry but let me put it this way,he's a man not a female and i know his way of writing and he know that i know and that's why he slowed down since i sent him a hint .

[nj]

punk, thank you

[luggi 2]

Luggi and carlito . i'm here . I was sticking up for you luggi from that azzzzzzzzz

[jorgebanks]

i knew that no matter what anyone's complaints might have been, it would only be a small amount of time that we would miss the 'GOOD
OL DAYS' when Mr. H is in charge.

Why would we ever want to consult someone who works for Martha Stewart?????????? Seriously, maybe we should see if the rest of the weird people trying to run the rest of our society could just 'market' everything just a little bit more. Maybe this idiot would like to bring the U.N. into the new big inner circle, or hey even better, maybe we could Obama's new dog to be our mascot and dress the dog up in a Dolphin disguise.

Here's a question for you Mando-if you could get inside the brain of the Tuna, don't you just know that Parcell's would like to have a big vomit fest on these 'new' ideas'???

[NJ PHIN FAN]

Jorgrbanks. exactly. That's why the tuna will be gone next year.

[friend]

thank you luggi 2, but don't forget one thing is when the name rexryansucks show up any time,run for the hills and ask for mercy, dosen't matter who is who and who is real and who is not.LOL

[Gopats]

Marthstewart is very good at what she does and for dolphins to get her involved that's will a lot of good things to the team.

[A]

OK,any question for your friend today? i'll be here until 6;30

[Brian in NJ]

this is the miami dolpins. not the damn lakers. i don't like the sound of this. does he want to own a football team or a circus?