Super Bowl LIV was the last time a Super Bowl game was played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Although the Super Bowl returned to Florida in the following year in Tampa Bay, it has never returned to Miami. Hard Rock Stadium went from one of the favorite venues to suffering sudden ignorance. Despite averaging one Super Bowl every five years, why are there no talks about a potential return? Pro Football Talk’s Myles A. Simmons has an answer, and it could create a rift between the fans.
“The funny thing is that they are still making a lot of money on these events, like Miami Open, like the F1,” said Mules A. Simmons on PFT Live. “I mean, especially the F1 is such a lucrative thing, and to have it every single year kind of makes up for the fact that you can’t host a Super Bowl. Right?”
The annual F1 race has made it harder for Miami to host a Super Bowl once every 5-10 years. @MylesASimmons pic.twitter.com/8s9Y9DD7M2
— PFT Live (@PFT_Live) May 4, 2026
Formula 1 first came to Miami in May 2022. Between 2022 and 2024, it generated more than $1 billion in revenue. The Miami Grand Prix saw a significant rise from $350 million in 2023 to $449 million in 2024. Visitors spent around $200 million in the Greater Miami region.
The Miami Open also generates around $400 million. These are similar figures or could be more than what the Super Bowl generated in Miami. In 2020, the Super Bowl generated around $572 million. Although it is higher than either the F1 or the Miami Open, together, they are hundreds of millions more than the Super Bowl.
So, Simmons is not wrong to mention that F1 “kind of makes up” for not hosting a Super Bowl. Ultimately, it is about revenue, and Miami is making a bunch from F1 and the Miami Open. But still, the Dolphins fans don’t want Hard Rock Stadium to miss out on the Super Bowl.
“I mean Super Bowl is something that will come for LA or Vegas, now it seems like once every five years, right?” said Myles A. Simmons. “Miami, should you would think be a part of that conversation, to be in regular rotation with it, and it always kind of has been before. It’s why they’ve hosted as many as you mentioned that they have, but I think from revenue generation standpoint, right?”
The Dolphins were founded in 1965, and since then they have played at two stadiums: the Orange Bowl Stadium (1966-1986) and the Hard Rock Stadium (1987 to present). The former held the Super Bowl five times, while the latter held it six times.
However, with the introduction of F1 and the Miami Open, Los Angeles and Las Vegas seem to have earned that honor. In 2021, the game was played in Raymond James Stadium (Florida), then SoFi Stadium (California) in 2022, followed by State Farm Stadium (Arizona) in 2023, Allegiant Stadium (Nevada) in 2024, Caesars Superdome (Louisiana) in 2025 and finally, Levi’s Stadium (California) in 2026.
In 2027, the game will be played in Los Angeles once again, then Atlanta in 2028, and in 2029, Las Vegas again.
But Simmons believes that if it is all about revenue, then the Super Bowl should be given equal priority since they have done it for decades.
“You can have Miami Open, an F1 each year, or you can have the Super Bowl sometimes,” Simmons said. “I mean, having that guaranteed revenue from the events that happen annually, probably is a pretty good business position.”
With Hard Rock Stadium out of the NFL rotation for hosting the Super Bowl, it does hurt the city, but the ownership should work together to bring it back in rotation. At least that is what Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross says.
Stephen Ross voices his opinion on Super Bowl games in Miami
While Las Vegas and Los Angeles seem to be in the NFL’s Super Bowl rotation, the Miami Dolphins have lost their place. Many people may point fingers at the Formula One and Miami Open, but owner Stephen Ross is not walking that path. Instead, he voiced his frustrations over the franchise’s lack of development.
“The one thing that suffered is Miami hasn’t gotten a Super Bowl here, and we normally have one every five years,” Ross said last week (via The Miami Herald). “Miami is not really in line for one. It’s always exciting to have the Super Bowl but that was before we had all the other events. Miami has by far the best weather. It’s in their best interest to have one here but at this point they don’t believe we meet all the requirements and the demands.”
Despite having a cult following, great weather, and experience in hosting various events, the Dolphins have fallen out of the rotational mix for the Super Bowl. One of the main reasons for it is that the stadium has not been able to expand properly. Following the construction of the Formula One racetrack and the tennis courts for the Miami Open, there has been a significant lack of sufficient room for hospitality in Miami Gardens.
But Ross is not willing to sit tight and watch. Instead, he believes in taking action for the betterment of the stadium and the franchise.
“We are looking at how to make improvements,” Ross said. “I want to make the stadium always feel like a new stadium, we are looking at what the next phase will be and making the fan experience that much better.”
Improving the hospitality and other aspects of the stadium is crucial not only for the Dolphins but also for the city. At the end of the day, who doesn’t like revenue generation from entertainment, like the Super Bowl?
