FYI, I am a Marlins fan. I live in Miami. The reason attendance is so bad is because too many fans have been hurt by the 3-4 fire sales this organization has had throughout its history. A lot of people feel that we can’t buy into the players because anytime someone gets good the organization trades him off to another team. There’s a joke that the Marlins are a minor league team for the rest of MLB. The team is finally starting to compete and I’m starting to see bigger and bigger crowds at the games. I think that the has been non competitive for too long and that’s why attendance figures are so low. There is far too much to do in Miami so people are not going to spend all of this money to see a team lose so much.
I just went to todays game and I agree 100%. More people have been attending the marlins games in Miami… I wanna say right after we hosted many countries recently at our stadium. It’s beautiful to see cause the sport is wonderful and our stadium feels like the orange bowl to me at times still. Marlins all day baby
I live in Miami as well tickets are extremely cheap even for the Yankees series tickets we're $10-25 which is insane! I have gone to about a handful of games this year it's been slightly more packed
That makes a lot of sense. Very similar to what happened in Montreal, who also suffered through the ownership of Jeffrey Loria at some point. Hopefully the Marlins' new ownership will help rebuild trust
When the Marlins actually won the World Series (1997 and 2003), they immediately did a severe salary dump. So the fans in Miami don't trust the management and have voted with their feet. The best baseball in Florida (outside of Tampa) is in March (spring training and the WBC).
Marlins were only 4 and 10 years old when they won both Series. Instead of capitalizing and building a connection with the Series heroes, management salary dumped both rosters twice. Why would anyone be loyal to a team after that happening twice. I'm not a Marlins fan, but I have no respect for that team.
People don’t seem to understand the concept that if a team, especially in a non-baseball market, goes 20 years without making the postseason besides a silly Covid bubble season, people aren’t going to show up. I don’t understand why people have such a hard time understanding this concept.
What fans they are all New Yorkers, Canadians, Cubans and Haitians none are fans of Marlins more soccer and Yankees fans and blue jays because Miami has no identity anymore
The problem with the rays and marlins is that most of the locals are Yankees/Red Sox/Mets fans and it’s hard to build a fan base with so many relocated people who won’t switch teams
Ya I drove by the Yankees spring training facility last night in Tampa.. i think that ballpark is nicer than the Trop… surprised the Rays havent tried to push them outta town lol
What? No the problem is the stadium are in terrible places and experience doesn’t feel worth it. You’ll be surprised how many sport bar are packed with sport fans in Miami and even Tampa people love sport but hate how these stadiums are so ugly and super expensive and miami traffic in little Havana is terrible their bridge to get on to 95 and it’s up every 20 mins you’ll have wait until it’s finished. Now add fact 8k people are leaving and no train route so everyone taking Uber or car to the game. That’s the experience and reason no one likes these stadiums.
Inter Miami plays outdoors during the summer, in a temporary stadium, and still have lots of fans, even before Messi came. Maybe it’s management; Beckham.
The WBC showed that there are baseball fans in Miami. Put something compelling on the field and fans will go. The problem is that fans know the ownership has no plan. So if the ownership's attitude is casual, the fan's attitude will be casual.
A lot of those fans are from Latin countries coming to root for their country. So unless you specifically appeal to them you’re not getting their attention. There’s a gigantic baseball market in Miami that’s still not opened though for sure.
@@Downbubbles2yet the go to basketball, soccer and even hockey games. Something is not adding up. The Marlins are not doing something right. Actually they’re doing so much wrong it’s a miracle we still have a team.
@@wintyforever The things that’s not adding up is the lack of competitive baseball from the Marlins. The thing that the Marlins are not doing right is sending every good player away the moment the team gets competitive.
The Marlins are actually a decent team this year. I’ve watched good number of Marlins games this season and they are fun to watch. I’ve always appreciated the pitching talent that comes out of Miami. I’m not a Miami fan, but I can imagine for Miami fans it’s so frustrating on the game in and game out basis to allow 3 runs And not be able to score 4 to win the game. The pitching is just that consistently good every year. If they even had a 15th or 16th best offense in MLB, they would be a super team with their pitching.
@@kevingutierrez6845 I may be a Braves fan, but is the truth. Every year Miami is always one of the biggest teams that I fear because of the pitching. If they could average 5+ runs per game in the runs scored column, they could easily challenge for the best record in baseball any year with the pitching talent that they manage to always pump out. That’s the terrifying part for every other baseball fan. I also love the Miami ballpark. It’s a shame that doesn’t fill up more.
I was a huge Marlins fan when they first came to South Florida. I had season tickets up through 1997, when they won their first World Series. But until late into the season, when it was clear that the Marlins had a shot at the wild card, attendance was miserable. The World Series was incredible because they opened the upper deck of Joe Robbie Stadium, and I think the attendance for the playoffs and World Series exceeded 60,000 people. The noise was deafening. It’s sad to see the state they’re in now. Nobody cares, and that leads to lower revenue, and that leads to the ownership not caring. And now I’ve moved back to California, and I’m back to being the fan of my favorite team of my youth, the Dodgers.
Build it in Ft lauderdale, Dania, Hollywood the attendance would double. Nobody wants to go to Miami and deal with that traffic, construction, small 1 lane roads and blocked intersections.
Yeah, i completely agree, i think it's why the dolphins have such a bigger, and more loyal fanbase. The stadium isn't an absolute nightmare to get to. The heat arena is in downtown miami, and nobody likes going there because it's a hassle. But the marlins stadium is in little Havana, and any miami native knows to stay out of little Havana if you don't want your head to explode from road rage. If you want to know what driving in little Havana is like just imagine the dumbest driving scenario you've been in, and multiply it by 1000, then add 50,000 people who literally have no idea how to drive and do literally everything besides pay attention to the road while driving.
The problem with Miami is there are too many attractions and competition for the entertainment dollar. The A’s moving to Vegas will find that out. Produce a winner consistently and that will change.
I think Vegas will be fine because they will have so many outsiders coming in from all over the country visiting all year not just the residents. Now what kind of home field advantage that will make will be a problem if that's true but I think the stands will be at least well occupied though I won't say Wrigley Field sold out night after night.
@@willmarkley4237 Unless the A's start winning from the get go (like the Golden Knights did), they will find that they are playing 162 games on the road (since most of the people in the stands in Vegas will either be tourists or transplants rooting for the other team).
@@kirkdooley8190 Well that's where we agree but take that thought a little further. Their owner doesn't care who's fans are there he wants their money regardless.
The Marlins came into the majors along with Colorado in 1993. At the time, the national press were all on board with Miami and seemed skeptical about the Rockies. Since then, the Marlins have won two World Series, while Colorado’s single appearance resulted in a sweep by the Red Sox. Yet Colorado has ranked 6th in attendance in their existence in the NL, in spite of some truly horrendous teams (including 8 seasons with 90+ losses).
The Rockies have cheap tickets and have basically made it the best bar in town. It's a bar with baseball in the background. The Rox are cursed because there's no reason to improve the team with high attendance. To boot, they play very well at home, so if you go to game there's a good chance they'll win. The Rox are oddly shackled and it's frustrating for die hard fans. I would say that Denver is actually low key a die-hard baseball city.
I don't think the Marlins are a big regret for MLB. They really wanted into Miami, as well as the state of Florida. I think Jeffrey Loria was the big regret. He screwed up the futures of 2 teams. I also don't think the league would approve them leaving Miami. There are some markets that they don't want to lose.
It's also the perfect spot for the WBC, and now that it will be hosted every 3 years that stadium will be alive with more frequency. Also they will host the caribbean series in 2024, with the expectation that it will draw as many latino fans as the WBC.
The Expos were a mess under Brochu, absolutely, but Loria was the nail in the coffin. There was still goodwill to the team, but he cancelled the French broadcasts, and invested next to nothing in them. Great way to make a team leave
Fernandez was drunk and high when he ran that boat aground on a game day he was supposed to be pitching. I doubt Fernandez was going to have a meaningful impact on the team considering his off field issues.
No it didn't. This ownership group is cheap AF and never would have kept Jose Fernandez when his contract was coming due for renewal. We saw how they got rid of everyone (Stanton, Yelich, Realmuto, etc) and went cheap yet again.
Your crack pipe is on fire Fernandez was a phenom compared to a young Beckett he was a pitcher that could get you out with 5 diff pitches he led league in era he has passion for Miami if that idiotic mistake hasn't happened he would still to this day be a top 5 pitcher everyone knew he was a future legend if he kept at it he was better than Strasbourg he beat him almost every time for him to put up the numbers he did look em up with an offense anchored by Mike I mean Giancarlo Stanton lol to this day several top scouts at time of his death till now no one comes close to his sinker and slider ball movement I remember he had 18 Ks against Mets or braves but even the opposing teams had to watch him he could easily hit mid 90s with his off spread stuff and he had a split slider and his fastball 100mph and his crown jewel his curve ball his off speed pitches had enough movement to go from one side to the other he did these in the 90s an down in the 70s I've been fan since day 1 same with the magic growing up outside of the O(Orlando) u got 2 choices go outside get covered like u took a shower but if u wanna go swimming don't lol@@2011blueman
As a person that lives in miami and roots for all the local sports teams, I think I speak for us all when I say this… we don’t do losing teams. Fans in miami don’t ride the high and low waves of teams. We want and will support winners. I’ve seen heat finals games where the whole arena empties out when they’re down 20 points. Sadly the marlins have never been a team that are willing to spend money and bring big name players. Especially with the Latin community all you need to do is bring in a francisco lindor, an Acuña jr just to name names and I promise you the stadium will be full day in and out. But sadly the city is also extremely overcrowded, and the stadium is in one of the busiest parts of town and is very difficult to get to. As a die hard marlins fan it’s safe to say I’m counting the days before the team relocates
not just miami, but all of florida acts like that. here in orlando, magic suck, no one shows up. magic are good, 15k a game or more. was the same in tampa for the bucs and lighting, same for jacksonville with the jags. and if either marlins or rays actually do move to orlando, would be the same (besides, where would put the stadium here? downtown, you'll never get out of towners. disney? almost no chance of orlando residents, zero chance of the parts north of us)
As a Yankee fan who grew up in Palm Beach, you'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't even know the team exists. One issue they really had was right as they were spending money is when the Heat got LeBron and became Miami's team. Also South Florida as a whole has alot of people like me who moved down here but kept their allegiances to their hometown teams or had their fanhood passed down. The stadium is nice and I like to see them do well, they're in a weird place rn
27k/game isn’t atrocious. If this team hadn’t gutted 4 different playoff caliber rosters and fielded a core with a 5 year contention window we’d have a better pulse on whether or not Miami deserves a team.
I live in Arizona and I think the sports scene there is very comparable to here. There's plenty of baseball played in both states. Particularly the fall and early spring leagues. But when it comes to the 4 major sports, it's football and basketball all day all night. Too many snowbirds in Arizona and Florida that go north for the summer. Right in the heart of baseball season. I still think there is hope for Miami. They just have to market themselves better I think.
I was at the DR vs USA game in 2017. That was the most electric atmosphere I’ve experienced at a baseball game, and it rivaled a college football game. Its a shame that a winner doesn’t play there.
When my parents divorced I was 12 years old and my dad moved to Florida for work. He would send me Marlins stuff in the mail as the Marlins were in their first year...I'm not really a Marlins fan now, but I'll always remember getting those t-shirts in the mail when I was little.
Going back to the first year of their ballpark they did something really dumb. They had hired Ozzie Guillen to be their manager that year and had signed free agents heading into that season and it seemed they planned on honoring what I'm sure was a scouts honor agreement the Marlins made with the city to put a competitive team on the field and within a couple weeks of the start of the season they fired Ozzie and put everyone on the trade market and here's the point. From then on Miami knew what that was and they said f it the owner was a piece of crap and they were done. I think they've had new ownership now but still.
The Miami Marlins just proved that ballclub's stadiums don't make a difference in attendance. It's interest that counts. Maybe the Rays will move there when the Marlins move.
It’s a great stadium. Clean, modern, in a really neat area (literally in the middle of a neighborhood). My university played a bowl football game there. The roof was open. It’s a shame the Marlins couldn’t field a compelling product there.
Cause the traffic, I usually go sport everyone says same thing it’s the damn traffic. I been saying miami if they install more trains would make bank, would solve a lot problem here
The problem isn't the stadium itself but its location. Their fan base is in north Miami where they used to play. They thought having the stadium in Little Havana would draw the large Cuban population.
I think it's a choice of either taking a short term loss on the stadium and relocate or continue to take your losses long term by staying in an area with consistent poor attendance .
Not what Oakland fans want to hear but… you may be right. I keep hearing Oakland fans say “LV fans will show up for the first couple of seasons and then go away.” That is possible, but how do they know that’s not also what will happen in Oakland? They’ve struggled with attendance throughout their whole time there.
Agree. Baseball could easily lose 2 teams and be fine. Expansion will only hurt baseball as there are already not enough good players to staff the major leagues. There are so many players in the majors who don't belong there. Notice how low baseball averages have become the past couple of years. Nobody takes about that. All you hear about today is OPS! It's ridiculous. OPS is being used to cover up poor offensive performances.
@@tommybotts You do hear why, it's explained all the time. Statistically it became known that trying to hit home runs basically all the time is the better option. There are few players out there now willing to consider all hitting options in an at bat.
@@howgoodistravel Nonsense! Who cares what sports commentators think - besides nobody? They're making excuses for lousy players. You would think if players are not hitting home runs all the time, they'd try something else - like getting on base! Another thing I've noticed is too many guy's standing there taking a call 3rd strike right down the middle with runners in scoring position! If you can't hit one right down the middle, what the hell pitch are they looking for??
Meanwhile we keep hearing how horrible the A’s are and how a new park would help attendance. While this is true for Oakland, John Fisher is the real problem.
Memories of the Miami Dolphins during a playoff run some years ago. The NFL could not show their playoff game on TV in the local market, because the Dolphins couldn't even sell out a playoff game.
12/31/1983….Dolphins (12-4) vs Seahawks (9-7) playoff. I was there. No TV, but that was fine with me. Seahawks shocked Miami, 27-20. Loved it. And yes I live in South FL. :)
Regarding the Marlins in the 2020 post-season, they weren't eliminated in their first round. They actually beat the Cubs before getting swept by the Braves in the Division Series.
The problem with Marlins park is they didn't build a Mt. Davis. I mean... What were they thinking? In this day and age if you don't build a Mt. Davis you aren't even trying. No wonder the fans don't show up. What self respecting sports fan would ever want to go to a stadium when the owners won't even bother to build them a beautiful Mt. Davis to look at?
Marlins Park was built on the old Miami Orange Bowl Stadium that was close to the University of Miami campus from recollection. Hurricane fans & team loved that old stadium as it was college atmosphere fun with so many epic games in addition to actual Orange Bowl game itself. They didn't want team to move to Joe Robbie/Hard Rock Stadium where NFL Miami Dolphins play but was no other choice (although, seeing pics of Hard Rock does look cool after renovations were made.) Downside about Marlins Park I've head is that area (Little Havana?) around there is horrendous and bad that it's not safe.
Stadium location will always be a challenge in southeastern Florida. Population is dense but situated in a long but narrow strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Everglades. It has what one would consider "sprawl" but unlike inland southern metropolises like Atlanta and DFW, where there few geographic barrries to sprawl so development goes in all directions around the urban core, in southeastern Florida development is concentrated along a narrow strip of land about 75 miles from Miami to Palm Beach.
I traveled to Miami this year to watch my team play the Marlins. It’s not that bad of a stadium being relatively new and comfortable watching a game in the air conditioning. The food is pretty decent too. My feeling is that Miami and Florida is simply not a baseball market as people have other interests.
There’s an enormous market. With the amount of Cubans, Venezuelans and NY transplants alone, the market is enormous. But people aren’t interested in an inconsistent team here. The heat takes all the shine.
I think the problem with baseball in Miami is the customers they need aren't in Miami during the summer. The affluent locals and tourists aren't in Miami during the summer. The people who are in Miami in the summer either can't afford to go to many games or just choose other activities for their entertainment. The way MLB's profit sharing works, there is no incentive for owners to spend money. They are guaranteed to make money if they spend as little as possible. If they spend more, they may see return on that investment, but in cities such as Miami or Oakland, they know they will not see that return.
@@torres9807 It would be. That is one of the reasons a lot more people go to those games than go to Marlin and Rays games. Unfortunately, they are not going to move the baseball season to improve attendance for the two Florida teams.
Something tells me this stadium situation isn't going to make in this location. The old Orange Bowl locale was loaded with nostalgia and meaningful games that help lessen the discomfort of making the trip there. Vehicle traffic and sprawl had not adversely affected Little Havana as today. This can only work in a Downtown setting, fans will attend an urban ballpark. Major cities are embracing transit oriented designs(TOD) as the future. Everything in walking distance, live, work and play. It's called critical mass.
The Marlins ownership groups screwed over Miami at least 3 times. They dismantled the team after a WS in 1997; 2003, and in 2013. Go listen to Dan Lebatard's interview w/ Rob Manfred, to get the whole picture.
The Miami marlins stadium is on the site of the original orange bowl stadium. Leveling the orange bowl stadium was a mistake because that stadium had historical value.
You gotta know your market. In Miami, if you don’t put forth a product that are at least consistent playoff contenders, then nobody will show up, except hardcore fans. The Marlins have sucked for the last 20 years because they do not have an ownership with deep pockets combined with a mediocre front office. When they did manage to have great talent, they get traded within a couple years. How do you expect a large fan base to be built based on what I mentioned above?
The location is simply awful. The drive is not pleasant for the vast majority of the metropolis. Not only that the roads feeding into the stadium are limited. Traffic is bad. Leaving the stadium is horrible even when only 10000 show up.
As a Miami native, I can say the main reason people don't go, not counting weather is....the fan bae is jaded after decades of shit ownerships and fire sale after fire sale after fire sale, and it goes right back to 1998.
It’s not necessarily not enough baseball fans because most of the fans in Miami don’t support the marlins also the areas where baseball is popular are far away
I attended 2 games at this stadium in 2018 against the Phillies. I quite enjoyed this ballpark, the atmosphere and overall build were awesome! They also close the huge window because of wind speeds off of the ocean that funnel into the window making it harder to hit HRs
A huge TV market full of Cubans, Venezuelas, and Dominicans should be a slam dunk. Says more about Marlins ownership and MLB than the people of Southern Florida
MLB in Florida has been a great lesson that market size not always being king, one that MLB refuses to learn from lol. Almost nobody there cares about baseball for some reason, having two teams in the state is nuts. Doesn't help that both stadiums are lifeless, soulless, warehouses of baseball.
Simple fix, start winning and winning more consistently. It’s the same formula any team in league in America, if you want more fans and interest in your team you need to win. Attendance is directly correlated to your team’s performance. Miami is a great city for baseball the world baseball classic proves it.
Need fans to generate the revenue in order to justify high priced free agents to make the on field product better. It's a business and not a charity to make the fans content.
Based on the attendance stats and the teams' overall lack of success, it is amazing that they have not been relocated at some point. I do think that they have a nice ballpark, but you have to have the right ownership and management to draft the right players to have success. I know this probably doesn't have anything to do with their success, but I would bring back their original logo and teal uniforms because they were cool and unique!👍
the Marlins have never won the NL East but they won the WS twice. they won the WS faster and sooner than a lot of older teams too that's crazy, Miami fans don't care tho 😂
You're absolutely right. I see you're an Astros fan. I am too. In fact I've been both an Astros and Rangers fan since the early '70s. The Astros finally won it all a few years ago, but got blamed for something, I'll bet every team has attempted or done. And after half a century up in Arlington, the Rangers still haven't won it all, and with that pathetic bullpen of theirs won't win anything this year either. Fans in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma got frustrated with all the losing for so many decades, but we didn't give up on our teams the way they have in Florida. In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see Tampa Bay win it all this year, but unfortunately all those snow bird transplants from the northeast are still Yankee and Red Sox fans even though their teams are at the bottom of the A.L. East this year.
IMO: the folks that actually went to games as local fams of the club live in Broward and PB county. Nobody wants to make that trek during rush hour. It worked there for Canes and Dolphins football because it was only once (or twice) a week and generally on weekends.
What else surprises me is how well the Rockies draw despite their incompetent front office and 5 total playoff appearances in 31 seasons. Is there something behind the surface I’m unaware of or is that an underrated fanbase?
I say this as a frustrated baseball fan in Miami. I think there is a market here. Both the World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series now in 2024 sold out the park several times. The issue we have is simple, you can’t even buy a player Jersey when we finally have someone good because you just know they’re going to sell that player. The Marlins is a new team to baseball. They haven’t had 100 years to build their fan base like other teams have across the country. But every time we start to get excited about the team, the players get sold off. So people just stopped caring about baseball here before they could even start. Meanwhile you have teams like the Miami Heat taking all the sports shine here, hell even the Florida Panthers hockey team is doing better than the Marlins! If we want to get people, specially the you get crowd invested into a sport that is longer than ever, less exciting to watch than ever (thank God for the pitch clock), we need to have a solid winning team. First thing Derek Jeter did when he took over as CEO is get rid of the top 5 batters and fill up the team with minor leaguers. I really hope now that he’s exited, and now that they’ve seen the potential with the 2023 WBC and 2024 Caribbean Series, some positive changes come about. I still have hope for the Miami Marlins! 🙏
Well of course people don't show up there is more to down in and around Miami, they need results. While teams like St louis constantly fills out because there is nothing better to do in the city I mean the Rams move out.
How many years did we all hear the same argument about the Florida Panthers? It's not that we're not a hockeytown or a baseball town, it's that we don't want to pay money for things that are mediocre. Bringing ownership and management that's going to do what needs to be done to make the team competitive and they'll do fine just like the Panthers are doing right now.
A lot of that is the ownership. Twice they won the WS and then had sell offs. Jeter was a part of the current ownership and they traded Stanton, Yelich, Ozuna, and Realmuto instead of adding a few players.
The thing is that a baseball game in Miami is only the 7-8th option to do for fun on a weekend. Maybe the 3-4th thing to do on a weekday evening. So to get enough people to go you need to build up hype. Guarantee you if the Marlins pull off a miracle and go on a winning season you’ll see the games packed every day and people selling tickets for $500 each.
You forgot to mention the real problem in all of this…Jeffrey Loria. Dude scammed the city, pissed off and isolated fans et voila ! You have this perpetual stagnation. What’s a shame is the stadium is dope.
Retractable roofs are nice, but an expensive luxury. Target Field is nearly a perfectly situated park and has features that make it way ahead of its time,
One thing that may help bring more fans to the park would be changing back to the uniform they had when they won their World Series. Just change the F on the cap into an M.
The issue is that Jeffery Loria screwed the ciity by lying about the finances, building a good team to get the new stadium, and then immediately selling off all the good players. Then Sherman buys the team with Jeter as a beard and does basically the same thing only even worse players so now the team is really a AA to AAA team that's playing as an MLB team. Sherman has made it clear that he's going to do the same thing that Loria did, run a minimum wage ball team in order to profit from the revenue sharing agreement.
2020 Marlins weren’t swept out of the playoffs!!!! They actually swept the Cubs in the first series!! Get your facts straight and stop hating on my team, city and stadium!!
The Marlins alienated the fans in Broward and Palm Beach counties by moving to downtown Miami. The location of Joe Robbie/Pro Player - whatever they're calling it these days - was a perfect location, easy to get to and centrally located to all fans in South Florida. There's lots of open land in that area and they would have been better served to build a new ballpark there. No one in Broward or Palm Beach wants to drive to downtown Miami - fight traffic and risk your life - especially to see a perennially bad team.
Love the game & team, unfortunately, it is ALWAYS hot and humid to the point of extreme discomfort. As a native Floridian, I will only go to a game if the roof is closed and/or sit in shaded seats. Plus, south Florida employment does not justify the price of a game from parking to food and other things. The cheapest game tickets are $15.00, which doesn’t sound like a lot. But factor 2 tickets, plus parking, and 2 drinks & 2 hot dogs 🌭, and you’re out over $100.00 to see the game from the nose bleed 🩸 section. Again, locally, people struggle to make ends meet here, so it doesn’t make sense to spend that kind of money when the rent is due….
I became a fan in 1997 when they were the wild card team. They defeated Barry Bonds & the Giants and then the mighty Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. Gary Sheffield and Livan Hernandez were my favorite players on that team. They won a crazy series in game 7 against a Loaded Cleveland Indians team in extras. Best World Series I’ve ever watched! But then the fire 🔥 sales! They won again in 2003 but could never keep a team together, horrible front office! Horrible owners! The Marlins have had some of the most talented players in the league, MVP caliber and CY Young ACE Arms but have done nothing to build on their momentum from 97’ and 03’, new stadium, new name and just a huge disappointment!
As a native New Yorker living in Miami for 3 years, I can confidently say and confirm that Miami has the worst fan base in all of sports. They only like or care about their teams when they are good. Florida Panthers are a prime example, no loyalty. They attract to the shiniest object they see.
As a Marlins fan from the moment it was announced Miami was getting a team, I have grown tired of the discussion of attendance for Marlins games. The simple fact is this, the Marlins will never draw fans like other teams because no other city is like Miami. Miami/South Florida is the land of transplants from around the world that bring their allegiances with them. All the comparisons to other team's attendance are nonsense because none of them have the history of city building like Miami. So stop. The only question for MLB is whether BASEBALL can exist in South Florida, not a TEAM specifically. I believe there is enough interest for baseball in South Florida, so in the end MLB will always have the Marlins there in one form or another. So drop it.
Why couldn’t the Marlins/MLB, LoanDepot, the city/county, and the University of Miami come together and solve all their issues? The Canes football team moves into LoanDepot Park, the Marlins relocate to Charlotte or Montreal, and the stadium gets a football redesign/renovation.
The Marlins deserve MUCH BETTER crowds than they are getting, the fans NEED to give the team a chance and fill up the stands and fill up that upper deck as well
I said from day one Miami did not deserve a Major league baseball team when they first talking about putting one down in Florida. Anybody that knows the state of Florida know that that is a college football state not a major league baseball state.
@breadandcircuses8127The Rays would be fine if they were located in Tampa proper. They have a really great product on the field. St. Pete is just a pain to get in and out of. It’s neat that the Marlins play in the middle of a neighborhood, but there’s not much of an entertainment district around it. At least when you’re in St. Pete there’s things to do within walking distance.
It’s baffling to me how Marlins ownership couldn’t field a compelling team or build a fanbase in Miami. You’d figure it would be a no brainer with how big baseball is in Cuban culture.
I am a marlins fan and I love them but damn the management is so bad like after making the postseason 2023 they began a huge flop by signing nobody and instead of extending some players they just trade them away Also I don’t understand why relocate, it’s not gonna change management in any way wherever you move
If Montreal could resurrect the Labatt Park project, play in Olympic Stadium for a year or two. But the project was sabotaged by (who else) Jeffrey Loria.
"Baseball in Miami is the problem" is a misnomer. It's the ownership of baseball in Miami is the problem. Get good management, good teams, and the baseball will work out.
Every point is valid especially the relocated Florida population point. I’m a life long Floridian, and a gig, Uber, Amazon driver. Be number of out of state sports flags I see in 7 counties is enormous. But here is the honest to god truth, Florida is an outdoor activity state , beaches and fishing golf etc. people after work go to the beach and watch the sunset, hers the great equalizer. $10 seats free beer and you fill the stadium no matter what
I was at the stadium last week and of the 10 ballparks I have been too, this is by far the biggest disappointment. It was the first dome I have been to, and it felt like walking in to Costco, and instead of free samples, you get a baseball game. It just doesnt have a feel, and there was no identity to the park. The bobblehead exhibit was unique, but that was it. I wouldnt return to the stadium.
Listen all of you who live in Miami. We have been having this discussions since they played at Sun Life. I witnessed the Marlins not being able to SALE OUT the divisional Series against the Giants. I witnessed that entire season crowds of 10k when they were competitive the entire year. This is not unique to Marlins either. The Dolphins before the tv rules changed back in the day would be playing a home PLAYOFF game and because it was not sold out was not shown on local television. Mind you Marino was the QB and we all had to drive to Orlando to watch the game. Stop making excuses. The true fans are few the rest simply wait to see if they are going to make and the. They show up so they can take pictures on instagram and say I was there.
I live close to the stadium, the surrounding area sucks for the most part. With the exception of Thank You Miami (a local pub) there's nothing to do before or after the game. We were promised all kinds of retail and dining and so far nothing.
Crazy they won 2 World Series titles, guys that my team the Tigers hold up on high esteem Jim Leyland (1997), David Dombrowski(1997), Ivan Rodriguez (2003) and Miguel Cabrera (2003) all won their only World Series there, except Dombrowski added a second one in 2018 with Boston. Cabrera is going into HOF with a Tigers cap, # retired, Leyland is a borderline HOF manager, his #10 has been out of circulation for a decade now meaning chances are it’ll be retired if enters the HOF and with a Tigers cap on. The Marlins uniforms since moving into this new stadium have been awful, the ones currently are a little better then the ones from 2012-2018, still the teal (1993-2011) is it! They wear them on throwback Fridays now, sucks they have an ADT advertising patch on the sleeve 🤮 I just think comes down to the team never having any sustain success, despite winning 2 World Series championships. They don’t have any numbers retired or any player in the HOF with a Marlins cap on. It’s unfortunate because guys like Leyland managed in traditional baseball cities in Pittsburgh (1986-1996) and Detroit (2006-2013), his lone World Series championship happened with the Marlins where he managed only two seasons (1997-1998) and doubt any fans remember him. Ownership is what failed the Marlins, Jeff Loria was awful, he walked into a World Series winner and was never able come close repeating that then the group Jeter was with not much better.
They put that stadium in the worst part of Miami. On the gravesite of hallowed ground of the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately this town is baseball purgatory.
FYI, I am a Marlins fan. I live in Miami. The reason attendance is so bad is because too many fans have been hurt by the 3-4 fire sales this organization has had throughout its history. A lot of people feel that we can’t buy into the players because anytime someone gets good the organization trades him off to another team. There’s a joke that the Marlins are a minor league team for the rest of MLB. The team is finally starting to compete and I’m starting to see bigger and bigger crowds at the games. I think that the has been non competitive for too long and that’s why attendance figures are so low. There is far too much to do in Miami so people are not going to spend all of this money to see a team lose so much.
I just went to todays game and I agree 100%. More people have been attending the marlins games in Miami… I wanna say right after we hosted many countries recently at our stadium. It’s beautiful to see cause the sport is wonderful and our stadium feels like the orange bowl to me at times still. Marlins all day baby
I live in Miami as well tickets are extremely cheap even for the Yankees series tickets we're $10-25 which is insane! I have gone to about a handful of games this year it's been slightly more packed
That makes a lot of sense. Very similar to what happened in Montreal, who also suffered through the ownership of Jeffrey Loria at some point. Hopefully the Marlins' new ownership will help rebuild trust
@@ohozal9817what crowds
A rotten baseball state
When the Marlins actually won the World Series (1997 and 2003), they immediately did a severe salary dump. So the fans in Miami don't trust the management and have voted with their feet. The best baseball in Florida (outside of Tampa) is in March (spring training and the WBC).
Marlins were only 4 and 10 years old when they won both Series. Instead of capitalizing and building a connection with the Series heroes, management salary dumped both rosters twice. Why would anyone be loyal to a team after that happening twice. I'm not a Marlins fan, but I have no respect for that team.
Which is why you can't blame Sternberg for being cheap with the Rays-The Marlins were drowning in red ink (hence the fire sale at Blockbuster)
People don’t seem to understand the concept that if a team, especially in a non-baseball market, goes 20 years without making the postseason besides a silly Covid bubble season, people aren’t going to show up. I don’t understand why people have such a hard time understanding this concept.
What fans they are all New Yorkers, Canadians, Cubans and Haitians none are fans of Marlins more soccer and Yankees fans and blue jays because Miami has no identity anymore
@@Boogsbejones I always say that there are more people from Chicago living in Phoenix, then thee are people from Chicago living in CHICAGO.
The crazy thing is the team has won the World Series twice.
Their only 2 playoff appearances 😂. And they won it twice as the wild card
The owner gutted the team after both Series wins.
@@Pandemicjoeas a yankee fan I was 7 during that World Series one of my first heartbreaks
Their ‘97 win is partially thanks to the Eric Gregg game, if Eric actually did good the Braves probably would’ve won
In 2015, but only in the back to the future, part 2
The problem with the rays and marlins is that most of the locals are Yankees/Red Sox/Mets fans and it’s hard to build a fan base with so many relocated people who won’t switch teams
Well, if you give the home crowd a winning team to be proud of they might switch.
Ya I drove by the Yankees spring training facility last night in Tampa.. i think that ballpark is nicer than the Trop… surprised the Rays havent tried to push them outta town lol
What? No the problem is the stadium are in terrible places and experience doesn’t feel worth it. You’ll be surprised how many sport bar are packed with sport fans in Miami and even Tampa people love sport but hate how these stadiums are so ugly and super expensive and miami traffic in little Havana is terrible their bridge to get on to 95 and it’s up every 20 mins you’ll have wait until it’s finished. Now add fact 8k people are leaving and no train route so everyone taking Uber or car to the game. That’s the experience and reason no one likes these stadiums.
@@strack94 the rays have been to more WS than yankees and mets in the last decade. Florida shouldnt have MLB teams ppl dont go to the games
@@xaviergardner1881 And how many have they won? You gotta win some World Series to build a fan base.
Inter Miami plays outdoors during the summer, in a temporary stadium, and still have lots of fans, even before Messi came. Maybe it’s management; Beckham.
Inter Miami has Messi still doesn't sell out.
@@jibbjabb43 true, because most people like me don’t want to pay $500 per ticket for the last row behind the goal
Ticket prices were not Major league sports prices before Messi also much smaller stadium and a lot less games.
Lol before Messi it was never filled and the staduim was tiny. You can sit wherever
It’s definitely management. It’s almost like Derek Jeter wanted the Marlins to fail.
The WBC showed that there are baseball fans in Miami. Put something compelling on the field and fans will go. The problem is that fans know the ownership has no plan. So if the ownership's attitude is casual, the fan's attitude will be casual.
A lot of those fans are from Latin countries coming to root for their country.
So unless you specifically appeal to them you’re not getting their attention.
There’s a gigantic baseball market in Miami that’s still not opened though for sure.
@@Downbubbles2Most of those fans literally live in South Florida!! Miami is the Latin Hub Capital of the world… most live in Miami and South Florida
@@Downbubbles2yet the go to basketball, soccer and even hockey games. Something is not adding up. The Marlins are not doing something right. Actually they’re doing so much wrong it’s a miracle we still have a team.
@@wintyforeverI mean they do have two World Series wins
@@wintyforever The things that’s not adding up is the lack of competitive baseball from the Marlins. The thing that the Marlins are not doing right is sending every good player away the moment the team gets competitive.
The Marlins are actually a decent team this year. I’ve watched good number of Marlins games this season and they are fun to watch. I’ve always appreciated the pitching talent that comes out of Miami. I’m not a Miami fan, but I can imagine for Miami fans it’s so frustrating on the game in and game out basis to allow 3 runs And not be able to score 4 to win the game. The pitching is just that consistently good every year. If they even had a 15th or 16th best offense in MLB, they would be a super team with their pitching.
They are still in the race for the wild card. I hope they make it in. Would love to see a Marlins vs Mariners World Series.
Thanks for saying what us Marlins fans feel
@@kevingutierrez6845 I may be a Braves fan, but is the truth. Every year Miami is always one of the biggest teams that I fear because of the pitching. If they could average 5+ runs per game in the runs scored column, they could easily challenge for the best record in baseball any year with the pitching talent that they manage to always pump out. That’s the terrifying part for every other baseball fan. I also love the Miami ballpark. It’s a shame that doesn’t fill up more.
@@ulikemykungfu3995 The Mariners are not going to the World Series.
@@ulikemykungfu3995wont happen
I was a huge Marlins fan when they first came to South Florida. I had season tickets up through 1997, when they won their first World Series. But until late into the season, when it was clear that the Marlins had a shot at the wild card, attendance was miserable. The World Series was incredible because they opened the upper deck of Joe Robbie Stadium, and I think the attendance for the playoffs and World Series exceeded 60,000 people. The noise was deafening.
It’s sad to see the state they’re in now. Nobody cares, and that leads to lower revenue, and that leads to the ownership not caring.
And now I’ve moved back to California, and I’m back to being the fan of my favorite team of my youth, the Dodgers.
Build it in Ft lauderdale, Dania, Hollywood the attendance would double. Nobody wants to go to Miami and deal with that traffic, construction, small 1 lane roads and blocked intersections.
_very_ good point
Yeah, i completely agree, i think it's why the dolphins have such a bigger, and more loyal fanbase. The stadium isn't an absolute nightmare to get to. The heat arena is in downtown miami, and nobody likes going there because it's a hassle. But the marlins stadium is in little Havana, and any miami native knows to stay out of little Havana if you don't want your head to explode from road rage. If you want to know what driving in little Havana is like just imagine the dumbest driving scenario you've been in, and multiply it by 1000, then add 50,000 people who literally have no idea how to drive and do literally everything besides pay attention to the road while driving.
The problem with Miami is there are too many attractions and competition for the entertainment dollar. The A’s moving to Vegas will find that out. Produce a winner consistently and that will change.
😮good thing Miami got it mostly public funding for it
I think Vegas will be fine because they will have so many outsiders coming in from all over the country visiting all year not just the residents. Now what kind of home field advantage that will make will be a problem if that's true but I think the stands will be at least well occupied though I won't say Wrigley Field sold out night after night.
@@willmarkley4237 Unless the A's start winning from the get go (like the Golden Knights did), they will find that they are playing 162 games on the road (since most of the people in the stands in Vegas will either be tourists or transplants rooting for the other team).
@@kirkdooley8190 Well that's where we agree but take that thought a little further. Their owner doesn't care who's fans are there he wants their money regardless.
Vegas A's opponents fanbases will def come to town as a reason to come to Vegas. No one is flying 7 hours to see their team play in Oakland in August.
when you fire sale your team after the 1997 world series title and the 2003 world series title you realize this team is hard to support
The Marlins came into the majors along with Colorado in 1993. At the time, the national press were all on board with Miami and seemed skeptical about the Rockies. Since then, the Marlins have won two World Series, while Colorado’s single appearance resulted in a sweep by the Red Sox. Yet Colorado has ranked 6th in attendance in their existence in the NL, in spite of some truly horrendous teams (including 8 seasons with 90+ losses).
Either the food at Coors is so irresistible people will drop $30-40 on a ticket, they give fans free weed or the Rockies have an underrated fan base.
There is no other team in such a massive geographical area.
The Rockies have cheap tickets and have basically made it the best bar in town. It's a bar with baseball in the background. The Rox are cursed because there's no reason to improve the team with high attendance. To boot, they play very well at home, so if you go to game there's a good chance they'll win. The Rox are oddly shackled and it's frustrating for die hard fans. I would say that Denver is actually low key a die-hard baseball city.
That’s because coors field can hold 50k
Because there's a lot more to do in Miami than to watch mediocre baseball.
I don't think the Marlins are a big regret for MLB. They really wanted into Miami, as well as the state of Florida. I think Jeffrey Loria was the big regret. He screwed up the futures of 2 teams.
I also don't think the league would approve them leaving Miami. There are some markets that they don't want to lose.
The Expos were a mess for years before Loria, and Huizenga screwed the team over after the 97 world series
It's also the perfect spot for the WBC, and now that it will be hosted every 3 years that stadium will be alive with more frequency. Also they will host the caribbean series in 2024, with the expectation that it will draw as many latino fans as the WBC.
The Expos were a mess under Brochu, absolutely, but Loria was the nail in the coffin. There was still goodwill to the team, but he cancelled the French broadcasts, and invested next to nothing in them. Great way to make a team leave
Yes they would
Jose Fernandez dying in a boating accident in 2016 really set them back as well.
Fernandez was drunk and high when he ran that boat aground on a game day he was supposed to be pitching. I doubt Fernandez was going to have a meaningful impact on the team considering his off field issues.
No it didn't. This ownership group is cheap AF and never would have kept Jose Fernandez when his contract was coming due for renewal. We saw how they got rid of everyone (Stanton, Yelich, Realmuto, etc) and went cheap yet again.
@@2011bluemanFernández was a top 5 pitcher in MLB at 23 years old. He would’ve made a difference despite the ❄️ habit
Your crack pipe is on fire Fernandez was a phenom compared to a young Beckett he was a pitcher that could get you out with 5 diff pitches he led league in era he has passion for Miami if that idiotic mistake hasn't happened he would still to this day be a top 5 pitcher everyone knew he was a future legend if he kept at it he was better than Strasbourg he beat him almost every time for him to put up the numbers he did look em up with an offense anchored by Mike I mean Giancarlo Stanton lol to this day several top scouts at time of his death till now no one comes close to his sinker and slider ball movement I remember he had 18 Ks against Mets or braves but even the opposing teams had to watch him he could easily hit mid 90s with his off spread stuff and he had a split slider and his fastball 100mph and his crown jewel his curve ball his off speed pitches had enough movement to go from one side to the other he did these in the 90s an down in the 70s I've been fan since day 1 same with the magic growing up outside of the O(Orlando) u got 2 choices go outside get covered like u took a shower but if u wanna go swimming don't lol@@2011blueman
As a person that lives in miami and roots for all the local sports teams, I think I speak for us all when I say this… we don’t do losing teams. Fans in miami don’t ride the high and low waves of teams. We want and will support winners. I’ve seen heat finals games where the whole arena empties out when they’re down 20 points. Sadly the marlins have never been a team that are willing to spend money and bring big name players. Especially with the Latin community all you need to do is bring in a francisco lindor, an Acuña jr just to name names and I promise you the stadium will be full day in and out. But sadly the city is also extremely overcrowded, and the stadium is in one of the busiest parts of town and is very difficult to get to. As a die hard marlins fan it’s safe to say I’m counting the days before the team relocates
god i hope not...
not just miami, but all of florida acts like that.
here in orlando, magic suck, no one shows up.
magic are good, 15k a game or more.
was the same in tampa for the bucs and lighting, same for jacksonville with the jags.
and if either marlins or rays actually do move to orlando, would be the same (besides, where would put the stadium here? downtown, you'll never get out of towners. disney? almost no chance of orlando residents, zero chance of the parts north of us)
Luckily the Heat are one of the most consistent teams in the NBA and their attendance shows for it.
No! Derek Jeter stepped down. I have hope for the Marlins.
@@mfm4205all of my life Dolphins disappointed me.
As a Yankee fan who grew up in Palm Beach, you'd be surprised at the amount of people who don't even know the team exists. One issue they really had was right as they were spending money is when the Heat got LeBron and became Miami's team. Also South Florida as a whole has alot of people like me who moved down here but kept their allegiances to their hometown teams or had their fanhood passed down. The stadium is nice and I like to see them do well, they're in a weird place rn
This guy has the balls to say the world baseball classic a exhibition games
Yeah that’s crazy
WBC is the best baseball tournament in the world 💯💯
@@AndyGarcia-ch1ci
Agree
27k/game isn’t atrocious. If this team hadn’t gutted 4 different playoff caliber rosters and fielded a core with a 5 year contention window we’d have a better pulse on whether or not Miami deserves a team.
I live in Arizona and I think the sports scene there is very comparable to here. There's plenty of baseball played in both states. Particularly the fall and early spring leagues. But when it comes to the 4 major sports, it's football and basketball all day all night. Too many snowbirds in Arizona and Florida that go north for the summer. Right in the heart of baseball season. I still think there is hope for Miami. They just have to market themselves better I think.
Snowbirds are not moving to Miami
And at one time in California but California is now too expensive for snowbirds.
@@cedtv6899in what universe they are not??? I live here and know that!!
The Marlins attendance would likely be better if they were situated in Broward County, near the center of population of southeastern Florida.
I was at the DR vs USA game in 2017. That was the most electric atmosphere I’ve experienced at a baseball game, and it rivaled a college football game. Its a shame that a winner doesn’t play there.
When my parents divorced I was 12 years old and my dad moved to Florida for work. He would send me Marlins stuff in the mail as the Marlins were in their first year...I'm not really a Marlins fan now, but I'll always remember getting those t-shirts in the mail when I was little.
Going back to the first year of their ballpark they did something really dumb. They had hired Ozzie Guillen to be their manager that year and had signed free agents heading into that season and it seemed they planned on honoring what I'm sure was a scouts honor agreement the Marlins made with the city to put a competitive team on the field and within a couple weeks of the start of the season they fired Ozzie and put everyone on the trade market and here's the point. From then on Miami knew what that was and they said f it the owner was a piece of crap and they were done. I think they've had new ownership now but still.
I think Ozzie praised Fidel Castro that year, which does not go over well at all in South Florida.
@niners-yup. Ozzie seems to never think before his mouth opene.
The Marlins won a playoff game since they moved to loan depot park. In 2020 they won the first round playoff series then got swept in the nlds
There has never been a playoff game played there. Sad
Exactly!!! People are dumb. We definitely beat the Cubs in Chicago then we faced the Braves…..
The Miami Marlins just proved that ballclub's stadiums don't make a difference in attendance. It's interest that counts. Maybe the Rays will move there when the Marlins move.
Florida Rays
I think they should move and the Rays should split time between Tampa and Miami
What makes you think the Marlins are moving?
It’s a great stadium. Clean, modern, in a really neat area (literally in the middle of a neighborhood). My university played a bowl football game there. The roof was open. It’s a shame the Marlins couldn’t field a compelling product there.
Cause the traffic, I usually go sport everyone says same thing it’s the damn traffic. I been saying miami if they install more trains would make bank, would solve a lot problem here
@@KOCChristian I can imagine it being a traffic nightmare. As a Tampa resident, I feel you on the need for more mass transit.
The problem isn't the stadium itself but its location. Their fan base is in north Miami where they used to play. They thought having the stadium in Little Havana would draw the large Cuban population.
I think it's a choice of either taking a short term loss on the stadium and relocate or continue to take your losses long term by staying in an area with consistent poor attendance .
I feel if the A’s stay in Oakland and build a new stadium, in 5-10 years they will be in the same boat as the marlins.
Not what Oakland fans want to hear but… you may be right. I keep hearing Oakland fans say “LV fans will show up for the first couple of seasons and then go away.” That is possible, but how do they know that’s not also what will happen in Oakland? They’ve struggled with attendance throughout their whole time there.
@@adanalyst6925 except between 1988 1992 the Canseco Mc Gwire years they drew over 2 million during those years
The Vegas deal is pretty much a given though isn’t it ?
The Marlins and Rays are exactly why we don't need expansion.
Not true ... Florida is not a baseball state lol any other state would be better than Florida
Agree. Baseball could easily lose 2 teams and be fine. Expansion will only hurt baseball as there are already not enough good players to staff the major leagues. There are so many players in the majors who don't belong there. Notice how low baseball averages have become the past couple of years. Nobody takes about that. All you hear about today is OPS! It's ridiculous. OPS is being used to cover up poor offensive performances.
@@tommybotts You do hear why, it's explained all the time. Statistically it became known that trying to hit home runs basically all the time is the better option. There are few players out there now willing to consider all hitting options in an at bat.
@@howgoodistravel Nonsense! Who cares what sports commentators think - besides nobody? They're making excuses for lousy players. You would think if players are not hitting home runs all the time, they'd try something else - like getting on base! Another thing I've noticed is too many guy's standing there taking a call 3rd strike right down the middle with runners in scoring position! If you can't hit one right down the middle, what the hell pitch are they looking for??
Meanwhile we keep hearing how horrible the A’s are and how a new park would help attendance. While this is true for Oakland, John Fisher is the real problem.
Memories of the Miami Dolphins during a playoff run some years ago.
The NFL could not show their playoff game on TV in the local market,
because the Dolphins couldn't even sell out a playoff game.
12/31/1983….Dolphins (12-4) vs Seahawks (9-7) playoff. I was there. No TV, but that was fine with me. Seahawks shocked Miami, 27-20. Loved it. And yes I live in South FL. :)
If you want to be openly honest, the 2012 firesale is what killed it.
Regarding the Marlins in the 2020 post-season, they weren't eliminated in their first round. They actually beat the Cubs before getting swept by the Braves in the Division Series.
The problem with Marlins park is they didn't build a Mt. Davis. I mean... What were they thinking? In this day and age if you don't build a Mt. Davis you aren't even trying. No wonder the fans don't show up. What self respecting sports fan would ever want to go to a stadium when the owners won't even bother to build them a beautiful Mt. Davis to look at?
We don't need Mt. Davis😂.
It's a shame there isn't a sarcasm emoji. ;)
Marlins Park was built on the old Miami Orange Bowl Stadium that was close to the University of Miami campus from recollection. Hurricane fans & team loved that old stadium as it was college atmosphere fun with so many epic games in addition to actual Orange Bowl game itself. They didn't want team to move to Joe Robbie/Hard Rock Stadium where NFL Miami Dolphins play but was no other choice (although, seeing pics of Hard Rock does look cool after renovations were made.) Downside about Marlins Park I've head is that area (Little Havana?) around there is horrendous and bad that it's not safe.
Marlins attendance suffers for three major reasons:
1. Owners that don’t spend.
2. Bad teams.
3. Stadium location.
Sounds like the Rays
Stadium location will always be a challenge in southeastern Florida. Population is dense but situated in a long but narrow strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Everglades. It has what one would consider "sprawl" but unlike inland southern metropolises like Atlanta and DFW, where there few geographic barrries to sprawl so development goes in all directions around the urban core, in southeastern Florida development is concentrated along a narrow strip of land about 75 miles from Miami to Palm Beach.
Lots of Latin ball players but the fan base is undefinable. Bring back the teal uniforms and make the ballpark colorful again.
I traveled to Miami this year to watch my team play the Marlins. It’s not that bad of a stadium being relatively new and comfortable watching a game in the air conditioning. The food is pretty decent too. My feeling is that Miami and Florida is simply not a baseball market as people have other interests.
There’s an enormous market. With the amount of Cubans, Venezuelans and NY transplants alone, the market is enormous. But people aren’t interested in an inconsistent team here. The heat takes all the shine.
I think the problem with baseball in Miami is the customers they need aren't in Miami during the summer. The affluent locals and tourists aren't in Miami during the summer. The people who are in Miami in the summer either can't afford to go to many games or just choose other activities for their entertainment. The way MLB's profit sharing works, there is no incentive for owners to spend money. They are guaranteed to make money if they spend as little as possible. If they spend more, they may see return on that investment, but in cities such as Miami or Oakland, they know they will not see that return.
Good point why be there in summer makes sense
So, spring would be the best time for baseball in Florida? You've got the Spring training and the WBC selling out every night
@@torres9807 It would be. That is one of the reasons a lot more people go to those games than go to Marlin and Rays games. Unfortunately, they are not going to move the baseball season to improve attendance for the two Florida teams.
Something tells me this stadium situation isn't going to make in this location. The old Orange Bowl locale was loaded with nostalgia and meaningful games that help lessen the discomfort of making the trip there. Vehicle traffic and sprawl had not adversely affected Little Havana as today. This can only work in a Downtown setting, fans will attend an urban ballpark. Major cities are embracing transit oriented designs(TOD) as the future. Everything in walking distance, live, work and play. It's called critical mass.
The Marlins ownership groups screwed over Miami at least 3 times. They dismantled the team after a WS in 1997; 2003, and in 2013. Go listen to Dan Lebatard's interview w/ Rob Manfred, to get the whole picture.
The Miami marlins stadium is on the site of the original orange bowl stadium. Leveling the orange bowl stadium was a mistake because that stadium had historical value.
You gotta know your market. In Miami, if you don’t put forth a product that are at least consistent playoff contenders, then nobody will show up, except hardcore fans.
The Marlins have sucked for the last 20 years because they do not have an ownership with deep pockets combined with a mediocre front office. When they did manage to have great talent, they get traded within a couple years.
How do you expect a large fan base to be built based on what I mentioned above?
The location is simply awful. The drive is not pleasant for the vast majority of the metropolis. Not only that the roads feeding into the stadium are limited. Traffic is bad. Leaving the stadium is horrible even when only 10000 show up.
As a Miami native, I can say the main reason people don't go, not counting weather is....the fan bae is jaded after decades of shit ownerships and fire sale after fire sale after fire sale, and it goes right back to 1998.
On TV, the stadium looks beautiful. I sure hope they figure things out so their attendance improves ~ significantly.
Think of the money that could have been saved if they had just built it as a domed stadium, that retractable roof was a huge waste of money
Fascinating video the miami marlins deserve better
I've been to that stadium and it isn't bad but for other reasons the Marlins simply don't draw well.
Its a beautiful park I enjoyed going there but there is just so much other stuff to do in Miami and not enough Baseball fans.
It’s not necessarily not enough baseball fans because most of the fans in Miami don’t support the marlins also the areas where baseball is popular are far away
I attended 2 games at this stadium in 2018 against the Phillies. I quite enjoyed this ballpark, the atmosphere and overall build were awesome! They also close the huge window because of wind speeds off of the ocean that funnel into the window making it harder to hit HRs
Here’s a thought, most people don’t have the money to go to a game.
This assumption that everybody has all this extra money is crazy.
A huge TV market full of Cubans, Venezuelas, and Dominicans should be a slam dunk. Says more about Marlins ownership and MLB than the people of Southern Florida
MLB in Florida has been a great lesson that market size not always being king, one that MLB refuses to learn from lol. Almost nobody there cares about baseball for some reason, having two teams in the state is nuts.
Doesn't help that both stadiums are lifeless, soulless, warehouses of baseball.
Simple fix, start winning and winning more consistently. It’s the same formula any team in league in America, if you want more fans and interest in your team you need to win. Attendance is directly correlated to your team’s performance. Miami is a great city for baseball the world baseball classic proves it.
Need fans to generate the revenue in order to justify high priced free agents to make the on field product better. It's a business and not a charity to make the fans content.
@@Dynamatrix2000Teams have lots of money to spend, they just have owners that don't want to. Stop using "we are a small market" as an excuse.
@@Vossenatorespecially when Miami is not a small market…
@@Dynamatrix2000organizations need to put the product out. Got to give the fans a reason to show…..
Watching a Marlins home game is more like sitting in a shopping mall than attending a ball park.
I remember when sports was about THE SPORT and not about their stadiums.
Based on the attendance stats and the teams' overall lack of success, it is amazing that they have not been relocated at some point. I do think that they have a nice ballpark, but you have to have the right ownership and management to draft the right players to have success. I know this probably doesn't have anything to do with their success, but I would bring back their original logo and teal uniforms because they were cool and unique!👍
The marlins dismantled both championship teams. They lost the city's trust. It doesn't help that they haven't been a good team until recently.
the Marlins have never won the NL East but they won the WS twice. they won the WS faster and sooner than a lot of older teams too that's crazy, Miami fans don't care tho 😂
You're absolutely right. I see you're an Astros fan. I am too. In fact I've been both an Astros and Rangers fan since the early '70s. The Astros finally won it all a few years ago, but got blamed for something, I'll bet every team has attempted or done. And after half a century up in Arlington, the Rangers still haven't won it all, and with that pathetic bullpen of theirs won't win anything this year either. Fans in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma got frustrated with all the losing for so many decades, but we didn't give up on our teams the way they have in Florida. In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see Tampa Bay win it all this year, but unfortunately all those snow bird transplants from the northeast are still Yankee and Red Sox fans even though their teams are at the bottom of the A.L. East this year.
Division titles don’t mean anything though, winning the championships ring is still the ultimate goal
IMO: the folks that actually went to games as local fams of the club live in Broward and PB county. Nobody wants to make that trek during rush hour. It worked there for Canes and Dolphins football because it was only once (or twice) a week and generally on weekends.
What else surprises me is how well the Rockies draw despite their incompetent front office and 5 total playoff appearances in 31 seasons. Is there something behind the surface I’m unaware of or is that an underrated fanbase?
Marlins have a beautiful park
@@deanwille8130 you mean Rockies?
Coors Field is amazing
I worked for the team. They don’t wanna win. Ownership is content with existing anonymously and collecting his checks
If they could get to October baseball, then they could open that roof.
I say this as a frustrated baseball fan in Miami. I think there is a market here. Both the World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series now in 2024 sold out the park several times. The issue we have is simple, you can’t even buy a player Jersey when we finally have someone good because you just know they’re going to sell that player.
The Marlins is a new team to baseball. They haven’t had 100 years to build their fan base like other teams have across the country. But every time we start to get excited about the team, the players get sold off. So people just stopped caring about baseball here before they could even start.
Meanwhile you have teams like the Miami Heat taking all the sports shine here, hell even the Florida Panthers hockey team is doing better than the Marlins!
If we want to get people, specially the you get crowd invested into a sport that is longer than ever, less exciting to watch than ever (thank God for the pitch clock), we need to have a solid winning team.
First thing Derek Jeter did when he took over as CEO is get rid of the top 5 batters and fill up the team with minor leaguers.
I really hope now that he’s exited, and now that they’ve seen the potential with the 2023 WBC and 2024 Caribbean Series, some positive changes come about. I still have hope for the Miami Marlins! 🙏
The MLB wants a team in the Miami market. I’m sure their TV ratings aren’t bad
Should have rebuilt the Orange bowl instead of this grift. Stadium is nice but always empty and you usually can get tickets for free.
Well of course people don't show up there is more to down in and around Miami, they need results. While teams like St louis constantly fills out because there is nothing better to do in the city I mean the Rams move out.
The sandy Alcántara injury was crushing. His games sold way way better and for higher prices, plus he was a lights out pitcher
did the prices triple after the build?
How many years did we all hear the same argument about the Florida Panthers? It's not that we're not a hockeytown or a baseball town, it's that we don't want to pay money for things that are mediocre. Bringing ownership and management that's going to do what needs to be done to make the team competitive and they'll do fine just like the Panthers are doing right now.
A lot of that is the ownership. Twice they won the WS and then had sell offs. Jeter was a part of the current ownership and they traded Stanton, Yelich, Ozuna, and Realmuto instead of adding a few players.
The thing is that a baseball game in Miami is only the 7-8th option to do for fun on a weekend. Maybe the 3-4th thing to do on a weekday evening. So to get enough people to go you need to build up hype. Guarantee you if the Marlins pull off a miracle and go on a winning season you’ll see the games packed every day and people selling tickets for $500 each.
The Latin Community is similar to the Black Community in that they love to play the game but are not the biggest fans of watching the game.
You forgot to mention the real problem in all of this…Jeffrey Loria. Dude scammed the city, pissed off and isolated fans et voila ! You have this perpetual stagnation.
What’s a shame is the stadium is dope.
Retractable roofs are nice, but an expensive luxury. Target Field is nearly a perfectly situated park and has features that make it way ahead of its time,
One thing that may help bring more fans to the park would be changing back to the uniform they had when they won their World Series. Just change the F on the cap into an M.
You wouldn't call the World Cup Final an "exhibition game." Stop the disparagement of the WBC.
The Marlins and Ray's should switch leagues. The Marlins seem more suited for the AL East for some reason.
The issue is that Jeffery Loria screwed the ciity by lying about the finances, building a good team to get the new stadium, and then immediately selling off all the good players. Then Sherman buys the team with Jeter as a beard and does basically the same thing only even worse players so now the team is really a AA to AAA team that's playing as an MLB team. Sherman has made it clear that he's going to do the same thing that Loria did, run a minimum wage ball team in order to profit from the revenue sharing agreement.
They should have built that stadium in Ft. Lauderdale,they would have done so much better there.
2020 Marlins weren’t swept out of the playoffs!!!! They actually swept the Cubs in the first series!! Get your facts straight and stop hating on my team, city and stadium!!
The Marlins alienated the fans in Broward and Palm Beach counties by moving to downtown Miami. The location of Joe Robbie/Pro Player - whatever they're calling it these days - was a perfect location, easy to get to and centrally located to all fans in South Florida. There's lots of open land in that area and they would have been better served to build a new ballpark there. No one in Broward or Palm Beach wants to drive to downtown Miami - fight traffic and risk your life - especially to see a perennially bad team.
Love the game & team, unfortunately, it is ALWAYS hot and humid to the point of extreme discomfort. As a native Floridian, I will only go to a game if the roof is closed and/or sit in shaded seats. Plus, south Florida employment does not justify the price of a game from parking to food and other things. The cheapest game tickets are $15.00, which doesn’t sound like a lot. But factor 2 tickets, plus parking, and 2 drinks & 2 hot dogs 🌭, and you’re out over $100.00 to see the game from the nose bleed 🩸 section. Again, locally, people struggle to make ends meet here, so it doesn’t make sense to spend that kind of money when the rent is due….
I became a fan in 1997 when they were the wild card team. They defeated Barry Bonds & the Giants and then the mighty Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. Gary Sheffield and Livan Hernandez were my favorite players on that team. They won a crazy series in game 7 against a Loaded Cleveland Indians team in extras. Best World Series I’ve ever watched! But then the fire 🔥 sales! They won again in 2003 but could never keep a team together, horrible front office! Horrible owners! The Marlins have had some of the most talented players in the league, MVP caliber and CY Young ACE Arms but have done nothing to build on their momentum from 97’ and 03’, new stadium, new name and just a huge disappointment!
As a native New Yorker living in Miami for 3 years, I can confidently say and confirm that Miami has the worst fan base in all of sports. They only like or care about their teams when they are good. Florida Panthers are a prime example, no loyalty. They attract to the shiniest object they see.
As a Marlins fan from the moment it was announced Miami was getting a team, I have grown tired of the discussion of attendance for Marlins games. The simple fact is this, the Marlins will never draw fans like other teams because no other city is like Miami. Miami/South Florida is the land of transplants from around the world that bring their allegiances with them. All the comparisons to other team's attendance are nonsense because none of them have the history of city building like Miami. So stop. The only question for MLB is whether BASEBALL can exist in South Florida, not a TEAM specifically. I believe there is enough interest for baseball in South Florida, so in the end MLB will always have the Marlins there in one form or another. So drop it.
Why couldn’t the Marlins/MLB, LoanDepot, the city/county, and the University of Miami come together and solve all their issues? The Canes football team moves into LoanDepot Park, the Marlins relocate to Charlotte or Montreal, and the stadium gets a football redesign/renovation.
The Marlins deserve MUCH BETTER crowds than they are getting, the fans NEED to give the team a chance and fill up the stands and fill up that upper deck as well
I’m a Marlins fan and the right move was to relocate.
No way.
@@stevensuarez4843 it’s never worked out here. It’s the truth.
@@ariboy24081but we survived😊. It's sad that now other teams are considering relocating, due to funding or renovating new ballparks.
@@stevensuarez4843 Marlins did the same BS. As soon as they got the chance they sold the team.
I said from day one Miami did not deserve a Major league baseball team when they first talking about putting one down in Florida. Anybody that knows the state of Florida know that that is a college football state not a major league baseball state.
@breadandcircuses8127The Rays would be fine if they were located in Tampa proper. They have a really great product on the field. St. Pete is just a pain to get in and out of. It’s neat that the Marlins play in the middle of a neighborhood, but there’s not much of an entertainment district around it. At least when you’re in St. Pete there’s things to do within walking distance.
It’s baffling to me how Marlins ownership couldn’t field a compelling team or build a fanbase in Miami. You’d figure it would be a no brainer with how big baseball is in Cuban culture.
I am a marlins fan and I love them but damn the management is so bad like after making the postseason 2023 they began a huge flop by signing nobody and instead of extending some players they just trade them away
Also I don’t understand why relocate, it’s not gonna change management in any way wherever you move
Montreal Expos should be given another chance.
Don't worry, Sternberg will bring back Les Expos
Hope you enjoy watching the Marlins, Rays fans!
Not unless a new ballpark is built in Montreal no way a team is going to play in Olympic Stadium
@michaelleroy9281 and Sternberg ain't plunking up a DIME for one in Tampa Bay, not after the Loan Depot Park fiasco in Miami
If Montreal could resurrect the Labatt Park project, play in Olympic Stadium for a year or two. But the project was sabotaged by (who else) Jeffrey Loria.
"Baseball in Miami is the problem" is a misnomer. It's the ownership of baseball in Miami is the problem. Get good management, good teams, and the baseball will work out.
Every point is valid especially the relocated Florida population point. I’m a life long Floridian, and a gig, Uber, Amazon driver. Be number of out of state sports flags I see in 7 counties is enormous. But here is the honest to god truth, Florida is an outdoor activity state , beaches and fishing golf etc. people after work go to the beach and watch the sunset, hers the great equalizer. $10 seats free beer and you fill the stadium no matter what
How about Orlando might get the MLB team, or Jacksonville, the largest city in Florida also seeking for the MLB team.
I wish you would of brought up this crazy stat. Marlins are two time World Series champions, but they NEVER won their division title! 🤯
I was at the stadium last week and of the 10 ballparks I have been too, this is by far the biggest disappointment. It was the first dome I have been to, and it felt like walking in to Costco, and instead of free samples, you get a baseball game. It just doesnt have a feel, and there was no identity to the park. The bobblehead exhibit was unique, but that was it. I wouldnt return to the stadium.
Bye bye 👋🏾
@@AntcmbHeat bye bye
Listen all of you who live in Miami. We have been having this discussions since they played at Sun Life. I witnessed the Marlins not being able to SALE OUT the divisional Series against the Giants. I witnessed that entire season crowds of 10k when they were competitive the entire year. This is not unique to Marlins either. The Dolphins before the tv rules changed back in the day would be playing a home PLAYOFF game and because it was not sold out was not shown on local television. Mind you Marino was the QB and we all had to drive to Orlando to watch the game. Stop making excuses. The true fans are few the rest simply wait to see if they are going to make and the. They show up so they can take pictures on instagram and say I was there.
I live close to the stadium, the surrounding area sucks for the most part. With the exception of Thank You Miami (a local pub) there's nothing to do before or after the game. We were promised all kinds of retail and dining and so far nothing.
Crazy they won 2 World Series titles, guys that my team the Tigers hold up on high esteem Jim Leyland (1997), David Dombrowski(1997), Ivan Rodriguez (2003) and Miguel Cabrera (2003) all won their only World Series there, except Dombrowski added a second one in 2018 with Boston. Cabrera is going into HOF with a Tigers cap, # retired, Leyland is a borderline HOF manager, his #10 has been out of circulation for a decade now meaning chances are it’ll be retired if enters the HOF and with a Tigers cap on. The Marlins uniforms since moving into this new stadium have been awful, the ones currently are a little better then the ones from 2012-2018, still the teal (1993-2011) is it! They wear them on throwback Fridays now, sucks they have an ADT advertising patch on the sleeve 🤮 I just think comes down to the team never having any sustain success, despite winning 2 World Series championships. They don’t have any numbers retired or any player in the HOF with a Marlins cap on. It’s unfortunate because guys like Leyland managed in traditional baseball cities in Pittsburgh (1986-1996) and Detroit (2006-2013), his lone World Series championship happened with the Marlins where he managed only two seasons (1997-1998) and doubt any fans remember him. Ownership is what failed the Marlins, Jeff Loria was awful, he walked into a World Series winner and was never able come close repeating that then the group Jeter was with not much better.
They put that stadium in the worst part of Miami. On the gravesite of hallowed ground of the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately this town is baseball purgatory.