Why I’m a fan of the Miami Dolphins

Welcome to a refreshed The Phinsider! To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own post. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card. We’re collecting all of the stories here and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come Fan With Us!

I have been a Miami Dolphins fan since birth, thanks to my mother. I do not believe I have ever had a choice in which football team I would follow. My father was in the Army, but both he and my mother are from Florida - and my mother grew up a Dolphins fan from when they were established.

Bouncing around the United States - and the world - has not always made being a fan of the team easy, but it has made it fun. From getting up in the middle of the night to watch games on the Armed Forces Network in Germany to midnight trips across the Bahrain to get to one of the extremely limited places to watch AFN in the country. I have such great memories of spending time with my family watching the Dolphins even that far from home.

I remember being at the September 23, 2001 game in Pro Player Stadium with my mom and brother - the first game after 9/11. What a crazy experience and a great ending to the game as Jay Fiedler scored the touchdown that ended up on the Sports Illustrated cover.

Of course, now I am in the Army myself, so my fandom has followed me across the country and the globe again as I continue my career. I have flown a Dolphins flag during every overseas deployment, including during the 2007 1-15 season when I took (understandable) ridicule for it. This past year, I was assigned to Saudi Arabia, where once again, a Dolphins flag flew outside my assigned house.

Every year, being away from home but having the Dolphins as a tie back has only made me a bigger and bigger fan, ultimately leading me to finding The Phinsider, then joining, and now managing.

Now, I am also completing what is probably the most important part of being a fan of any team - making sure my son is also a Dolphins fan. We attended our first Dolphins game together in 2012, being at Ryan Tannehill’s first start when Miami visited the Houston Texans. We bought first row tickets behind the Dolphins’ bench and, thanks to an incredible Texans season ticket holder, ended up inside the stadium to meet the players as they headed for the bus. We went to our first game in Miami in 2013, when Michael Thomas picked off Tom Brady to seal the win with two seconds remaining.

That’s the story of why I am a fan. Now, it’s your turn. Go to the FanPosts and write why you are a Dolphins fan so you have a chance to win the sweepstakes!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SB Nation Why Are You a Fan Reader Sweepstakes starts on 8:00am ET on May 25, 2017 and ends at 11:59pm ET on June 8, 2017. Open only to eligible legal residents of the United States, 18 years or older. Click here for Official Rules and complete details, including entry instructions, odds of winning, alternative method of entry, prize details and restrictions, etc. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsor: Vox Media, Inc.