The "crowded" Miami sports scene is profiled by Barry
Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD, who reports that South
Florida's "empty stadiums" have some wondering if the market
is oversaturated. While the Panthers, Dolphins and Heat
have played to "at least" 95% capacity, the Marlins, ECHL
Matadors, MLS Fusion, NPSL ThunderCats, Univ. of Miami and
Florida Int'l Univ. "face much larger challenges." The
Univ. of Miami has seen an increase in attendance from last
year, but "the turnouts against UCLA (46,819) and FSU
(63,617) could have been better." The school has "tried to
attract fans by charging less for games against teams that
are not highly regarded." UM Athletic Dir Paul Dee: "Sure,
the attendance can be discouraging but I believe we're
improving." To increase awareness, UM increased its ad
budget by $40,000 for the upcoming basketball season. The
Fusion's first season was a "disappointment at the gate" and
team investor-operator Ken Horowitz said, "Attendance was
not what we expected because of two reasons -- price
structure and our schedule." As a result, the team has
reduced ticket prices for next year and MLS scheduled 14 of
the 16 home games during the cooler evening hours. The
Matadors are facing a per-game attendance average of "less
than 2,000" and will "lose money" unless they add "about"
2,500 fans. Matadors President and part-Owner Bob Snyder
believes "the market is oversaturated in terms of major-
league, high-priced sports events." Snyder: "The question
is: Can an affordable, alternate form of entertainment that
happens to be a hockey team carve its place in a very
crowded entertainment market?" The Dolphins, Heat and
Panthers have all altered ticket costs in "an effort to draw
fans." The Panthers, who "sold out just four of their first
12 home games," began offering a $99 ticket package,
including seats and food, last week (MIAMI HERALD, 12/14).
