Hard Knocks Life: NFL Sells Out the Miami Dolphins

Much to the dismay of the players, the Miami Dolphins have been chosen as the featured team on this year's season of HBO's Hard Knocks. The long-running limited-series show amounts to the NFL's version of a soap opera, which has led many teams to avoid the spotlight in its pre-season version and run from the regular season version like it's the plague.

This decision has generated considerable disgust from the Dolphins crew, and it's not difficult to see why — the NFL is selling them out. Again.

The Dolphins, while also grappling with an exceptionally challenging travel schedule, are now set to deal with the fallout from the NFL's prioritization of profits over their well-being, all because they made the mistake of being interesting.

Coming from the same people who brought fines against Tyreek Hill after he chose not to wear socks and celebrated a touchdown with a cell phone he was handed, this is all pretty rich. (Not as rich as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is paid upwards of $35 million a season to bring in as much television and outside-the-lines revenue as possible.)

Seeing the NFL put marketing and financial gains over one of its teams' interests and competitive integrity is disheartening. And it continues a trend of the league only protecting the shield when it's convenient for them.

Marketing Machine

For years, the NFL has set its sights on global expansion, hosting games in England, Mexico, and Germany. That's great. Good luck with that, Goodell. But maybe spread around the marketing and more evenly distribute the burden it puts on teams who are trying to win a Super Bowl.

In addition to soon having HBO camera crews on their practice field and team meetings, documenting their every move and rooting for drama, the Dolphins are about to tackle another NFL-mandated marketing task — traveling to Germany for a Week 9 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. More than one million people reportedly joined the online waiting list for tickets to see the Dolphins face the Chiefs.

If you think it's a coincidence that the league announced the Dolphins' appearance on Hard Knocks just days before they're set to travel to their first-ever game in Germany, think again. The NFL has decided Miami is their German show pony.

This is all about television dollars and tickets. What's good for the Dolphins, a banged-up team coming off a loss that featured a slew of inexcusable calls from the refs, be damned.

While exciting for fans worldwide, this global ambition burdens teams like the Dolphins, especially if they're forced to deal with an international game while starting in the NFL's in-season telenovela.

Uneven Playing Field

The NFL has always advocated for parity and a level playing field. It ensures the worst teams get the top pick in the NFL Draft and enforces a salary cap to maintain balanced competition. Players are drug tested, and teams are suspended and fined for un-kosher deeds.

However, regarding global marketing initiatives, the league seems to adopt a "rules for thee, but not me" attitude. The Dolphins find themselves in a unique situation, juggling the demands of a reality TV show, international travel, and a grueling schedule.

While the biggest burden for some teams this season will be traveling across the country for a game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins will be dealing with the Hard Knocks spotlight on the way to a game in Europe that will start before 10 a.m. Miami time. If the goal is to level the playing field, the Dolphins have a serious gripe.

Miles Traveled and Misplaced Priorities

Even before the Dolphins were selected to appear on Hard Knocks, they'd already been done dirty by the NFL's schedulers. Besides starting the season on the road for four of their first seven games, Miami is slated to travel a hefty 27,110 miles for their 17 games in 2023, making their season the third most travel-intensive in the league.

Meanwhile, as if the talking heads didn't already yammer enough about the Dolphins out the side of their mouths, the media wolves will be fed a meaty new Hard Knocks storyline on the Dolphins once a week. With the Dolphins breaking all kinds of scoring and offensive production records this season, the noise around the team has been loud, and it's only going to get louder once the show kicks off.

Winning a Super Bowl is one of the most challenging feats in sports, and the Miami Dolphins are now facing a significantly tougher path to victory.