2000. A year known for a presidential election, Y2K, and the Play Station 2. However, for me, something else comes to mind – the last time the dolphins won a playoff game. Since then, they have endured countless heartbreakers to continue this awful streak.

Sometime in 2016, my brother was going through a rebellious phase, where he shunned the local Seattle Seahawks out of wanting to be different. Being the 5-year-old follower that I was, always doing whatever my brother was doing at that age, I made the same conclusion. However, unlike my brother who would not have a favorite team until he came back to rooting for the Seahawks six years later, I wanted to choose a single team to root for. Due to my obsession over dolphins, I chose the team thousands of miles away which had the same mascot – the Miami Dolphins. Little did I know how much misery this decision would cause me. To this day, I still despise the Seahawks, never coming back to liking them unlike my brother.

Because of how young I was, the first few years after this important decision are blurry scraps of memories in my brain. In 2018, I remember looking at the scoreboard, reading “New England 33 – Miami 28” with no time remaining, and becoming confused when it suddenly read “New England 33 – Miami 34.” Miami had pulled off a miracle to beat New England! Ever since then, I have made the tradition of watching this game on YouTube whenever I feel especially down about the Dolphins.

2019. After a few years of mediocrity, Miami decided to clean house, using ethically questionable tanking methods to get a high draft spot. But they couldn’t even tank right, finishing 5-11. That year, every win at the end of the season gave me the typical feeling of glee but also anger that the Dolphins would not get the next generational prospect, having to settle for often-injured quarterback–who is the most important player– Tua Tagoviloa.

Then out of nowhere, the Dolphins went 10-6. In any usual year, this record on its own would have been good enough to make the playoffs, but they narrowly missed the cut, a devastating ending to their season.

Approaching the end of their season, the Dolphins were 10-5 before the last game. All they needed was a win against the Buffalo Bills, who were resting most of their starters. The final score? 56-26 Buffalo. After the game, my original denial turned to grief. Tears streaked down my cheeks as I rode my bike in the Pacific Northwest rain. This team infuriates me, I thought. Can’t they just be competent for once?

In 2021, all I wanted was for Miami to at least make the playoffs. The Dolphins rebounded from early season struggles to be 8-7 coming into a pivotal game against the Titans. Unfortunately for me and all other Fins fans, they lost in a blowout, making the week 18 game meaningless. Somewhere, I was expecting it. 2020 had conditioned this loss for me, so it felt like less of a blow.

Despite all of this, I was still an ardent supporter of the Dolphins. Perhaps it was obstinacy, but I felt like I would be betraying the Dolphins if I chose a better team. The solution was for me to have a second – favorite team that was a championship contender, first the New England Patriots then the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The next year, I made the mistake of getting my hopes up again. I was so happy when the Dolphins beat both the Ravens and the Bills in back-to-back games early in the season that I was not concerned about Tagoviloa acting wobbly. The next week? Tua had a severe concussion, sending him to the hospital and putting him out of commission for weeks. When he came back, he helped the Dolphins to 8-3 in week 11. Shortly after, however, he got another concussion, putting him out of commission for the rest of the season. That record was good enough to make the playoffs, however, they lost to the Bills with their backup quarterback in. This was a surprisingly close first round game, but any glimmer of hope had dissipated due to the Dolphins’ self-inflicted blunders.

2023 was the peak of the Miami Dolphins. Tua Tagoviloa was healthy for the entirety of the season, and he led one of the best offenses in the league. They were 11-5 coming into the playoffs. Even this came with heartbreak, since the Dolphins lost their last two games,  missing out on a higher seed in the playoffs, which would allow the Dolphins to play easier teams. However, the lower seeding put them against the Kansas City Chiefs, where they lost, once again, in a blowout. I consoled myself saying that the frigid Kansas City weather had played a major factor. I was angry at the team for losing three games straight to end the season, but I thought that Miami had hope for a brighter future, emboldened by the team’s earlier success. Their offense had played extremely well this year, so I hoped that they could continue to improve their defense and make a run in the playoffs.

But in 2024, the brightness turned dim yet again. Tua was hurt the next year in 2024, and once again a late season rebound floundered to make the Dolphins miss the playoffs. This year, the Dolphins have come out to a 2-6 start, even losing to the lowly Cleveland Browns, who this year have been blown out by many teams and have come out to a similar 2-6 start.  

I am now numb to all the pain and suffering that the Dolphins have inflicted upon me. I have come to expect disappointment, and the realization that the Dolphins are never going to win a playoff game until I am on my death bed has dawned upon me.

Alas, I still root for them. I smile when I see that the Dolphins have scored a touchdown, and I feel disappointment when the Dolphins lose.

Either way, as long as I am a fan, the Dolphins will pull me into nothing but misery. They will not stop breaking my heart.

Hope is a fleeting thing.