Baseball fails in Florida?
Why has a game long treasured in this state not done well in nearly every conceivable aspect? Why despite a championship from one of its teams in 1997 has it failed so miserably?
According to one Major League Baseball official we spoke with recently, fans in Florida have long wanted a regular team, however, now they just may be bored of the sport.
“I honestly think people get their fill of the sport during spring training,” said the official, who spoke with Fanstop.com on condition of anonymity. “People love to see all the stars come down here for spring training and it gives them something to look forward to. But after its over, it is like they get too much of it with teams being here. It’s like after spring training, they simply aren’t interested.”
Most people blame lack of attendance and interest for the two teams on their poor records and history. The Florida Marlins, who are based in Miami, won a championship in 1997 through the spending power of their ex-Owner, Blockbuster Video Chief, H. Wayne Huizenga. However, the championship season has been their only winning season to date.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have never come close to a winning season in their three years of existence.
The two teams are both on pace to have losing seasons again this year, as the Marlins stand 21-25 and the Devil Rays sit at 13-34, the worst record in baseball. However, according to the official we spoke with, he doesn’t think that the lack of success translates into why baseball is doing so badly in the sunshine state.
“Look at Kansas City, Seattle, and the Chicago Cubs when they aren’t doing well, they still draw fans,” he stated. “They all have stars and so do these two clubs. Again, I think the problem may be lack of interest, even based on the type of state that this is. It is the same way in California; this is a warm weather state with a lot of other teams and things to do. That hurts these teams ability. Also, spring training is here, so people that don’t want to pay $30 to go to a Marlins game, they simply wait until February and pay less than that to see the Red Sox play. That is what hurts them.” Read the rest of this entry »
