If you have been on social media or a message board today, you probably got smacked in the face by an alarming headline from a Barstool Sports account claiming, “Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke Says He Prefers Playing Road Games Because the Hurricanes Have a Terrible Home Atmosphere.” That is quite a TVD quote.

Grabs the attention quickly, doesn’t it? Check.

It’s effective to pin a newly struggling quarterback against a fanbase starving to be great again. Especially coming off a loss on the national stage against Texas A&M where neither Tyler nor the offense had their best performance.

Click bait? Check.

In the ‘kick-you-while-you’re-down’ social media society we live in, it is no surprise that a lowly writer for Barstool would take aim at a college kid. Did TVD handle the interview perfectly? No. But I don’t expect a college kid to be perfect. He’ll learn a valuable lesson from this.

However, in the interview shown in the Barstool tweet, Van Dyke elaborates on the fact that Miami doesn’t provide a college atmosphere. The fans and the students don’t typically show up in droves unless it’s a big game, and that he enjoys going on the road to college atmospheres and hearing the crowds go quiet.

None of that should bother Miami fans, and I’ll tell you why. Miami is not a college town.

It’s a massive, professional sports city, and the fans of the Hurricanes treat the team as such. They show up and show out for big moments, but most fans in Miami have better things to do than show up to watch Miami beat Bethune Cookman 70-13.

Maybe if Miami played its home games in Auburn, Alabama or Starkville, Mississippi there would be nothing better to do than watch your football team dominate an overmatched opponent.

But here is REALLY why you shouldn’t be bothered by a spun quote. Take a look out across college football and the storied programs. Most of the storied programs attribute their traditions and success to legendary football coaches:

Notre Dame has Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz.

Alabama has Bear Bryant and Nick Saban,

Georgia has Mark Richt and Kirby Smart.

Ohio State has Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer.

Florida State has Bobby Bowden.

Florida has Steve Spurrier.

Miami fans shouldn’t get it twisted. Because Miami has never gotten it twisted. Those schools can have their beloved coaches and sold-out on-campus stadiums.
It has been, and it ALWAYS will be about the PLAYERS here.

The community and city of Miami, tied in with the brotherhood of the men that wore The U on the side of their helmet, has always been the key ingredient to success at this truly special program.

The brotherhood of current and former players has full ownership of the program. Not one coach. Not one man. People in Alabama talk about the days of The Bear. Miami talks about the days of Ken Dorsey, of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Michael Irvin. It’s what makes Miami, The U.

The University of Miami football program doesn’t care about attendance. It never has. The great teams who have come through The U have never concerned themselves with how many people are in the stands. It is irrelevant.

They would fight you in front of a sold-out stadium or they would fight you on Bourbon Street. Any time, any place, anybody. That is Miami. Miami will always be trademarked by the brotherhood; the blood, sweat, and tears left on Greentree Practice Fields.

Miami will never be about the ‘glitz and glam’, the ‘pageantry of college football’, or sold-out stadiums. If you care about sold-out stadiums – be a Nebraska fan. They have 379 straight sell outs at home. If you care about winning and championships – you might be a Cane.