Maybe the heat’s finally getting to me to the point that I feel the need to write this.
You see, all this weekend I’m covering the University of Miami’s Coral Gables Regional at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
What this means is over nine hours a day of college baseball in the 90-plus degree heat and humidity that only Miami can offer.
Through all the sweat and sunburn, what really came into my head were valid reasons- what some might call excuses—as to why the Florida Marlins can’t seem to fill Sun Life Stadium.
You see, it’s a multifaceted problem.
Contrary to popular belief, the Marlins actually have fans. Their TV ratings are near the top for all MLB baseball teams.
Yet, Florida ranks second to last, just ahead of the Cleveland Indians, in attendance, averaging 16,267 fannies a game.
ESPN and other media outlets poke fun at the empty blue and orange seats. Announced crowds are clearly smaller in number.
But why?
1) To quote LMFAO, “I’m in Miami, trick.”
If you’ve ever visited the tropical paradise, there’s tons to do. Why would a tourist or native want to see a baseball game when they have South Beach’s water and nightlife?
Then there’s the weather.
Temperatures reach the 90s on a daily basis. If you’ve ever seen a Sunday afternoon game on TV, you feel for the fans in right field.
Owner Jeffrey Loria couldn’t pay people to sit in those seats.
And in the summer, when baseball is the only sport in town, rain can come at a moment’s notice. The Marlins experience delays several times a year.
2) Sun Life Stadium.
Just the mention of its name should be enough, but for further explanation, remember that it’s a football stadium.
The Miami Dolphins play in front of 75,192 fans every Sunday. Under 40,000 seats are made available during baseball games, so do the math.
Located in Miami Gardens, Sun Life Stadium can be a half-hour drive for residents in communities such as Coral Gables. With horrible public transportation (the Metrorail doesn’t go to the stadium) and poor road systems, Interstate-95 is the only way to get to the game from southern Miami-Dade County.
During rush hour the drive can take more than an hour. Who wants to do that for 82 games a year?
3) Who’s on first?
Even with two World Series since 1997 and a flawless postseason record in two appearances, Florida’s ownership has done a poor job of keeping the talent because of a small payroll.
After 1997, then-owner Wayne Huizenga made the term “firesale” a household name in South Florida. Something similar happened following the 2003 team, but stretched out over a couple of years.
Look at pretty much any team in baseball and you’ll find a former Marlin.
Derrek Lee. Josh Beckett. A.J. Burnett. Mark Kotsay. Mike Lowell.
4) Unlike “Fiddler on the Roof,” there’s no tradition.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been around for ages. They play in a couple of America’s most historical cities.
Although the City of Miami was incorporated in 1896, its population didn’t begin to boom until the late 1950s when Cubans fled Fidel Castro’s regime. As a ball club, the Marlins’ first season was in 1993.
It’s hard to build a foundation for an organization without years in your own stadium. The Marlins don’t receive the profits for parking and concessions since Sun Life Stadium is controlled by the Dolphins.
5) Miami is the sixth borough.
That’s the common joke about Miami. With its picturesque winter weather, northerners, particularly those from New York, decided to move down to South Florida.
Here in lies a major problem: These people aren’t going to give up their childhood allegiance to the Mets or Yankees for a club that just happens to be in their new hometown.
Mets and Phillies games almost always draw crowds upwards of 30,000. When the Yankees came for interleague play last year, more than 40,000 tickets were sold for each game.
Until 2012 when Marlins Stadium opens at the old site of the Orange Bowl, crowds will continue to be small.
By then, maybe Florida will have sold all the remaining unsold tickets from Roy Halladay’s perfect game.
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