Menu
Franchises

Derek Jeter Says Marlins Won't Pad Poor Attendance Figures

Marlins Park last week saw a franchise-low 6,150 fans show up for a game against the MetsGETTY IMAGES

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said that he is "disappointed with the Marlins’ record-low crowd turnouts" so far this season, but he has "no intention of padding the figures, as was done in the past," according to Clark Spencer of the MIAMI HERALD. Jeter has "vowed to continue counting only tickets sold when reporting attendance numbers." He said, "One of the qualities of running a first-class organization is honesty. We’re transparent and we’re going to be honest about it. And reporting paid attendance as the number of tickets sold is the way we’re going to report it.” Spencer noted average home attendance at Marlins Park through the team’s first nine games "was 18,853, which ranked 26th" among all MLB clubs. But they have "already drawn the three smallest crowds in Marlins Park history, with a franchise-low 6,150 showing up for Wednesday’s game against the Mets." Jeter said that reporting actual paid attendance, "no matter how low the figures, will be reflected in future crowd increases." He added that one of the major complaints he hears often from fans is the "difficulty caused by traffic in getting into and out of the ballpark before and after games." Jeter: "Ingress and egress is an issue that we’re addressing. We’ve met with the police department of Miami, the police force of the county, and they’ve been very cooperative" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 4/13).

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: In N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes by accounts "inside and outside the organization, [Jeter] is letting the baseball people conduct their business." That "represents a significant contrast from his predecessors at Marlins Park." Davidoff: "The couple of times I saw the Marlins in spring training, they seemed calm -- and relieved that this plan would be in place for a while." While no one "doubted the passion" of former owner Jeffrey Loria, his "impatience and impetuousness, seconded by team president David Samson, created a culture of chaos." Jeter "asked for patience from the remaining fans as he gutted the team, and now he’ll be patient as the team sets a new course" (N.Y. POST, 4/16).

LOCAL ROOTS: In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis wrote Jeter in his first season has "shown a determination for building fan and business support of his new team by spending as much time in the community as possible." Last week he visited a local school to "distribute tickets to kids" for an Autism Awareness Day game. Jeter: “Any complimentary tickets that we give out, we’re going to do it in an impactful way, and we’re going to help grow the game of baseball here in South Florida" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 4/13). 

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

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/2018/04/16/Franchises/Marlins.aspx

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

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/04/16/Franchises/Marlins.aspx

CLOSE