Menu
Franchises

Royals Reportedly Asked Marlins Fan Behind Home Plate To Change Jersey Or Move Seat

Kauffman Stadium officials during Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday night asked Marlins fan Laurence Leavy, who has gained notoriety during the MLB postseason for wearing a bright orange Marlins jersey while seated directly behind home plate at several games, "to move -- or at least cover up" his jersey with a Royals shirt, according to Clark Spencer of the MIAMI HERALD.  The Royals reportedly offered Leavy a "private suite if he would move" and "tried enticing him with free World Series goodies if he would get rid of the jersey." But Leavy "paid $8,000 for that prime seat" and he "wasn’t about to give it up." He said, "The owner of the Royals was extremely upset that I was there." A Royals spokesperson said that "no one asked him to leave his seat or to take off the jersey." Marlins VP/Communications & Broadcasting P.J. Loyello said, “I think it's great. He’s one of our loyal season-ticket holders. He’s definitely easy to pick out with that jersey. It's fun to pick him out. It's reached a point where we expect to see him at games now." Spencer notes Leavy, who was sitting in the same spot last night for Game 2, has been "buying the best seats to major sporting events for years." By his count, he has "gone to 27 Super Bowls, more than 200 NBA playoff games, and at least 85 World Series games, and many Triple Crown horse races." Leavy has been a Marlins season-ticket holder "since the team’s first year" in '93 (MIAMI HERALD, 10/23). 

ORANGE YOU GLAD? ESPN's Keith Olbermann yesterday named the world's worst person in sports "everybody who is criticizing" Leavy for wearing the "glow in the dark, possibly nuclear powered" Marlins jersey. Olbermann noted Leavy buys ticket to the various sporting events "mostly off StubHub, so he's paying full price for all these games." Olbermann: "The Royals supposedly did not like him there not wearing their colors. Tough! You and I didn't like him there glowing like that on our TVs? Tough! There was a time when those seats at those events were available only to insiders. In basketball, half of those seats went to reporters. Then the teams realized just how much they could sell for and a rough meritocracy emerged. You don't like it? Then stop raising ticket prices so much that the people who own those seats can make enough money to pay for virtually an entire regular season just by selling one game to Marlins Man. Otherwise, shut up and bask in the warm glow of his orange jacket" ("Olbermann," ESPN2, 10/22).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/10/23/Franchises/Marlins-Fan.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/10/23/Franchises/Marlins-Fan.aspx

CLOSE