Last January, on Inauguration Day, an era came to a close.
No, I'm not speaking of the changing of the guard in Washington D.C.
Instead, I'm referring to pro sports ownership in South Florida.
Wayne Huizinga finalized a deal on that day to sell another 45% of the Miami Dolphins to real estate tycoon Stephen Ross. Ross had acquired 50% of the team from Huizinga last year.
Huizenga has sold his last majority ownership in a South Florida sports franchise. In the 1990s, Huizenga owned three teams: the Dolphins, Marlins and Panthers. Huizenga brought both baseball and hockey to South Florida when Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League granted him expansion franchises.
The future for the Dolphins is bright after Huizinga cut his losses and brought in Bill Parcells to clean house. The team went from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 last season. The other two franchises continue to flounder. The Panthers haven't made the playoffs since 2000, and the Marlins, even with a World Series win in 2003, can't draw fans. Both franchises had been mentioned in relocation rumors over the years, the Marlins to Portland, Charlotte or Las Vegas, and the Panthers to Canada. While the Marlins will break ground on a new stadium on the old Orange Bowl site soon, the Panthers were sold in a package where the most valuable piece in the deal might be for the management rights to the building they play in, the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise.
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