Sure, this is supposed to be a sports article, but never overlook the all-pervasive fact that sports is a business and, in business, being profitable is a priority.
I had the misfortune the other day of watching a Marlins game against another team with a losing record, the Colorado Rockies. Looking at the stands when the cameramen were permitted to expose the emptiness of the park, I could not help but feel concerned not only for team management, but also the ushers, vendors, retailers, parking valets, radio and TV stations, advertisers, and everyone else making at least a portion of their livelihoods from this business venture.
South Florida is home to millions of people who at best are difficult to impress, especially when you recognize the proximity of a beautiful ocean and beaches, the City of Miami Beach, the Floria Keys, the world’s best restaurants, and the craziest places to have fun you’ll ever experience. Why would anyone, other than a relative of one of the players, make a decision to fall asleep in an empty stadium or go have fun almost anywhere on the East Coast of Florida and the Florida Keys.
When you add those realities to a losing record, inexperienced players, and a tight-fisted owner, attracting fans is all but impossible unless the team is outstanding and causes our competitive spirits to well-up inside us.
The result for the Marlins, however, is the opposite: it has a new Major League Baseball record for low attendance: 137 vs. 37,000 capacity of loanDepot park.
The conundrum is what to do to attract people to this empty facility on a regular basis. Unlike some northern parts of our country where sports are about the only activity available to residents during the numbing winter months so everyone and their neighbors slurp down beverages and hot food during tailgate time, and then yell and scream for their team when the contest begins and they are still well lubricated.
That approach will not work in South Florida. There are too many exciting other things to do. But experience tells us that if a team is competitive, the stadium is clean and well-stocked with good, affordable food and beverages, and there is some form of entertainment between innings and during the seventh-inning stretch, many people will permit their competitive instincts to dominate and draw them to the contests.
The Dolphins weren’t 17-0 every season, but enough people enjoyed the competitive nature of the team and the appeal of many of the players to urge them to watch on every Sunday, whether at the stadium or in the coolness of their living rooms or favorite bars.
The bottom line is that ownership and other dependants cannot enjoy a profit until the fans can enjoy the experience and have the hope, soon if not this year, of playing for a division or league title.
We can only hope!