MADRID — They came from throughout Spain, they came from around the world, they even came from Palm Beach Gardens.
Mitch Weiss, 64, a retiree from PGA National, received an email from the Miami Dolphins one day saying they’d held a lottery that would determine which season-ticket holders would be offered the chance to purchase tickets to a game that, like most NFL international games, was a quick sellout.
“I apparently won,” said Weiss, who didn’t even know the lottery existed.
He forked over $300 for tickets, rationalizing it was a small fee in light of several thousand for airfare and hotel accommodations in Spain.
Off he went, never knowing he’d be there to witness not just the first NFL game in Spain, but the first Dolphins victory in the country. The Dolphins edged the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime on Nov. 16 before a crowd of 78,610 in the Bernabeu stadium, home to Spain’s legendary soccer club, Real Madrid.
“I had never been to Madrid, so I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll make a vacation out of it,’ ” he said.
Weiss grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., in a family of Bills fans. So he became a Patriots fan before moving to Florida and switching allegiances. “The Jets have just been bad forever,” he said, explaining why the circuit through the AFC East is incomplete.
Once inside the Bernabeu stadium, Weiss found himself in a futuristic arena in which organizers opted to keep the retractable roof closed. If their intent was to lock in the noise, consider it mission accomplished.
The place was loud when the Commanders made a play.
The place was louder when the Dolphins made a play.
It was more than a game. It was an event, a spectacle. It included time taken to honor members of Spain’s military for keeping the country safe during the pandemic. It also featured honorary captains Dan Marino and Zach Thomas and ex-Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
This was a Dolphins home game, reflected both on video boards and the P.A., where the familiar voice of Hard Rock Stadium announcer Ron St. John could be heard (along with Spanish announcements interspersed).
“Welcome to the field, your internationally known Miami Dolphins cheerleaders,” St. John said.
In the first quarter, referee Shawn Smith announced a delay-of-game penalty in Spanish.
The musical selection was eclectic throughout, starting with the 1971 hit, “Never Been to Spain” and including the “Macarena,” “La Bamba,” the Dolphins’ fight song and Marc Anthony’s anthem, “Vivir Mi Vida.”
That left only two things you knew were coming: “Sweet Caroline,” with the crowd naturally joining in during the “So good, so good, so good” part, and “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the chorus echoing throughout.
“It was beautiful,” linebacker Bradley Chubb said of the experience. “It was an amazing time. Any time you’ve got a chance to get out of the country and expand the game. It’s the first game out here in Madrid. It’s been amazing. Just the culture, the food, the paellas we had. Everything’s been amazing. I’m looking forward to this in the future, if we could do this again.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins, fans enjoyed Madrid – and beating Washington Commanders
