Why do the Marlins deserve a new stadium???

[redsfan28]

I realize that they won 2 championships. Only one of those was legit, the other one was bought. They have a grand total of 5 people that show up to their games. Whenever they're good, they trade their players the following season (BTW, how long before Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez are dealt?). Why in God's name would Miami give them a ton of jack to build what is going to be the costliest MLB stadium ever built and a total monstrosity?

Remember when the Expos couldn't sell out and had less than 5000 people show up to games? MLB moved them to Washington. Why are the Marlins any different?

[Tobywan]

They are hoping by building it closer to downtown and a retractable it will attract more fans. The complaints are the stadium which was built for football is too far for 81 games and that at least half the games are delayed or postponed due to rain, they get even more storms than we do here in the Tampa area.

[love_that_reefer]

I realize that they won 2 championships. Only one of those was legit, the other one was bought.

So how many of the Yankees WS titles were legit? A championship is a championship. Games still have to be played despite the size of a team's wallet.

[HollywoodLeo]

I agree with LTR here.

I'm not a fan of the system that allows the Yankees to do what they do, but it's taking it a bit far to say a championship is not legit.

add that to the fact that that isn't something a Miami team can afford to do regularly, meaning they were taking a huge gamble that paid off and it's an even bigger stretch to say it about the 97 Marlins.

[Foster]

Remember when the Expos were in line for a new stadium?


The difference is that the tax payers were already burned by the building of the "Big O", and didn't go along with the building of this great looking ballpark.

[catman]

That new stadium would have saved baseball in Montreal. The Marlins have some great, young players and the team could use some revenue to keep them in place. A new ballpark would help them do just that.

[Foster]

DK said the same thing when I asked him about it on the hotseat.

Miami went ahead with the deal to finance the deal, well Montreal didn't. Thats the reason the "fish" live.

This is a debate that has become a major factor in sports. I even wrote a paper on it for an American History class back when I was doing my undergrad. The paper looked at the movement of the baseball stadiums from city centers, to the suburbs, and than back to the cities as part of the urban renewal. Part of the movement was owners/builders following where the people lived, and also following where the money is. I'll look around and see if I can find it some time.

[Tobywan]

Stadiumgate

Very interesting article in the ST Pete Times yesterday, gives the history of recent stadium deals, the Expos debacle and the current drive by the Rays to get a new one.

[realmofotalk]

It is to my understanding that it became much easier to build the new stadium for the Marlins once it was decided that the Orange Bowl would be demolished to make way for it.

[realmofotalk]

And I've said it before, the Marlins aren't even South Florida's favorite baseball team, contrary to the Niketown baseball map. Them Cubans love their New York Yankees along with their Miami Dolphins.

[redsfan28]

But what makes them think they can sell out a new stadium when they can only draw 5 people at their current one? The "build it and they will come" idea doesn't necessarily work.

[HollywoodLeo]

Im not saying I agree or disagree with it, but the argument appears to be that if the stadium were more accesible more people would come.

So it's not "build it and they will come" it's "build it closer and they will come".

[Slyder]

But what makes them think they can sell out a new stadium when they can only draw 5 people at their current one? The "build it and they will come" idea doesn't necessarily work.

The newness of the stadium will be a draw for many people who may not been to a ballgame in the last few years. Thats what happened in Charleston, WV when they built the new stadium. It will inflat attendance for a couple years, keeping them coming is the question. My money is Jeffrey Loria (the man who sunk the Expos) will just continue to pocket the money regardless.

Its really a joke that MLB let him buy the Marlins after MLB bailed out Loria for the Expos when you hear about Cuban wanting to buy a team.

[redsfan28]

Im not saying I agree or disagree with it, but the argument appears to be that if the stadium were more accesible more people would come.

So it's not "build it and they will come" it's "build it closer and they will come".

Great, so they increase their paid attendance from 5 to 10 just because the ballpark is new. Look at the Reds. They got their park in 2003 and still can't sell it out in the middle of a playoff push. The Marlins are a dog of a franchise that gets lucky once in a blue moon.

[HollywoodLeo]

Great, so they increase their paid attendance from 5 to 10 just because the ballpark is new. Look at the Reds. They got their park in 2003 and still can't sell it out in the middle of a playoff push. The Marlins are a dog of a franchise that gets lucky once in a blue moon.

I wouldn't call them lucky.

That 2003 team was a good corps.

It just sucks that they have a horrible owner that didn't want to build off it because they could have been a force for multiple seasons under better ownership.