Miami Dolphins Lose Hard Rock Stadium to Pickleball Tournament

Pickleball fans let out a collective sigh of relief last week when it was confirmed the 2020 Florida Pickleball Championships would continue as planned at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. 

Stadium spokesman Klee Meyers said, “The Sunday, September 13th open day game against the New England Patriots got lost in the shuffle. We were so excited about the weekend-long Pickleball tournament that we forgot about football.”

The ESPN network, hard hit with the lowest ratings ever, had planned to cover the Miami-Patriots game live, but after learning of the Florida Pickleball event decided to keep the cameras at the stadium and cover the tournament instead. An ESPN source who asked to remain anonymous said there were strong feelings about covering the game. “A lot of the crew didn’t want to be here for the football game. Brady isn’t even with the Pats any more. So who cares?”

Delighted with the ultimate decision to allow the tournament to keep its original location,  Dade County Pickleball Association president Pete “Powerhouse” Jacobson said he “was thrilled.” The 73 year old player took first place in the Individual Senior category in 2019. “I’m going to do it again this year!”

The Miami-Patriots game will still be played on NFL opening day. The season opener is being held at the 7,000 seat Tropical Park Stadium and will be played directly after the Dade County High School Varsity Lacrosse game. The Lacrosse game will be televised.