Regulators is more than a name for our Twitter army. The Regulators began many years ago when I spent the better part of a decade with some of the greatest people in the world. I was part of the Miami Dolphins hype team or “Fins Force” as we were officially known. Our job was simple, bring the motha fuckin NOISE! We had many duties that included emceeing events around the community, engaging with fans, and hooking them up with Dolphins swag, but NOTHING came close to gameday. My fingers tingle and the hairs raise up on the back of my neck thinking about it. Pre-game huddle hyping each other up, before running out of that tunnel with the massive flags with the pyro firing and team running behind us. We branded ourselves the Regulators, and in tribute the then in-house stadium DJ would play an audio clip right as the team intro music cut to silence. “REGULATORRRRS… MOUNT UP!” and then it was on. Tens of thousands of fans on their feet screaming. For the next three hours we gave everything we had screaming at fans to get as loud as possible. Hype doesn’t begin to define the atmosphere. We rode on a wave of energy and excitement that cannot be described. I will always remember those days and the passion we all had, but being a Regulator is about so much more than wins and losses. It’s about an ideal, about believing in something bigger than yourself. When the game is on the line and the whole world feels like it hangs on the next few moments, that is where you find the Regulators. They may be down on the field, up in the nosebleeds, or on their coach a thousand miles away, but in that moment their entire heart and soul is connected to one giant energy force that is made up of billions of moments. It is the memory of their first game, their favorite jersey, their favorite player. It is the excitement of past victories and the pain of past losses. It is the growing culmination of every good, bad, and in-between feeling they have had since becoming a fan. In these moments we let go of ourselves as individuals and become part of the team. For that brief time there is only one team and we are all on it, there is only one cause, and we are all behind it. We live and die in those few seconds, over and over again. We have done it a million times and will gladly do it all again. That is what makes us Regulators. We are the faceless masses of a fandom that is so much bigger than than ourselves. We carry the banner in our hearts every day and are ready to hoist the colors at any given moment. We are charged with sharing our passions with all who will listen. We are the keepers of the light and we ensurer that it will never be extinguished. We accept these responsibilities willingly, and wish only that when we look back on life we know we gave everything we had to the cause. #MountUp
