The Marlins on Thursday drew a crowd of 32,151 to Marlins Park for the team's Opening Day matchup against the Cubs, the "first game" for Owner Bruce Sherman and CEO Derek Jeter, according to Clark Spencer of the MIAMI HERALD (3/30). There "hasn’t been an announced crowd of less than 34,000 for any Marlins opener in the last 10 years" (PALM BEACH POST, 3/29). The official crowd figures announced by the Marlins this season are "expected to plummet significantly -- or at least come closer to reality" -- as the team will "only count actual tickets sold in their attendance calculations." The Marlins ranked 27th in MLB last season with a "total home attendance of 1.6 million." That averages out to "about 20,000 a game, which was rarely the case based on visual evidence." A report from earlier this year put the actual number of paid tickets last season at "about 820,000" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/30).
A pregame concert featuring DJ Khaled provided entertainment for fans in attendanceGETTY IMAGES
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? Jeter on Thursday said he wants to turn Marlins Park during games "into an entertainment venue." He said, "When you come to a game as a fan, you want to be entertained" (“Cubs-Marlins,” ESPN, 3/29). In West Palm Beach, Dave George notes 14 dancing girls "took the field in the middle of the third inning to further that goal." A pregame concert featuring DJ Khaled "brought some star power." The crowd stayed "fully engaged" during the game. Marlins Park can be a "loud and joyful place under the right circumstances, as proven by the World Baseball Classic carnival that blew through here" and the '17 All-Star game (PALM BEACH POST, 3/30). In Miami, Greg Cote writes losses this season for the Marlins "may pile up but oh the whole ballpark experience is wrapped in such fun!" Cote: "The constant loud, upbeat music! The between-innings entertainment! The dancers! 'Best Party In Baseball!' proclaims a sign in the main concourse" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/30).
LISTENING TO THE FANS: Jeter said “one misconception” about him and the organization is that they are "not getting support from the community here." Jeter: "We’ve gotten quite a bit of support, whether it’s from our fan base or our corporate partners. If you look around this stadium, we have over 20 new corporate partners. They believe in what we’re doing down here, and they’re showing their support. We’ve been out in the community telling our story." He noted team execs spent a lot of time this offseason talking to fans, and they made it known they "want the roof open." Jeter: "It hasn't really been open that much in the past for whatever reason. But every opportunity we have to open it up, we will, because it’s baseball and this is a beautiful stadium. ... We want the fans to be able to enjoy baseball" ("Cubs-Marlins," ESPN, 3/29). ESPN’s Elle Duncan said her “biggest takeaway” from Cubs-Marlins was Jeter “being like, ‘We’re going to open the roof more and let the sun shine in, and also we have arepas burgers, so that’s good too. Our product’s trash, but come for the burgers'” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 3/30).
NOT AN EASY ROAD AHEAD: ESPN’s Mark Teixeira said Jeter "really likes that challenge, but he started this process with two strikes against him." Teixeira: "The team unfortunately paid $500 million more for the franchise than it was worth. Any businessman will tell you don't pay $500 million more for something, for anything. Especially not a baseball team that's losing money. Financially, they are really cash strapped, so they have to tear it down. Then a lot of fans didn't like the way that he fired some ... beloved team employees.” He added, “They’re going to have to win some ballgames soon for fans to trust him" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN, 3/29). FS1's Nick Swisher said, "The last 10 years, that organization has lost money. So what is happening now is there is a little bit of a changing of the guard. I understand the product might not be All-Star caliber, but in the whole end of the thing, every owner for the Marlins this year is like, ‘Oh man, we're going to make some money this year’” (“Speak for Yourself,” FS1, 3/29).
