The news from the field during spring training has been anything but good for the Miami Marlins as the team entered Thursday’s preseason action holders of a 1-9 record in the chase for the coveted Grapefruit League championship trophy.
Kidding! As we all know, not for nothing do they call ’em exhibition games.,
That said, the news off the field – what there is of it, anyway – ain’t great, either. According to a new analysis of the pregame experience undertaken by the website Bookies.com, the Marlins rank dead last in the MLB – just like in the Grapefruit League standings!
The sports-wagering site recently ranked all 30 ballparks as pregame destinations and determined that the Marlins are the worst.
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The home team’s 23-point tally is a speck in the rearview mirror of the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates (99), San Diego Padres (91), and San Francisco Giants (88). Miamians might now be aware of this (Because if we live in Miami, why bother going anywhere else?), but many MLB teams center their ballparks in an area where fans can mingle, shop, dine in restaurants – even tailgate in parking lots adjacent to football stadiums nearby, as is the case in Philadelphia (which wound up midpack, tied for 14th place).
As Bookies.com summarized:
“Miami is Miami, but a big reason why the Marlins consistently rank low in attendance is how difficult it is to get to the ballpark. Most of the parking consists of concrete ramps; It costs an arm and a leg and offers zero tailgating. There is no central nightlife spot near the place. (Last year: 29th)”
That’s right, we managed to fall one notch lower than we finished in last year’s rankings, swapping spots with the dismal Oakland Athletics, a team whose owners are practically pleading to leave town.
For Marlins fans used to traveling to LoanDepot Park, much of this is not news, but rather a rehash of a reality that has plagued the club since it moved from an unsuitable park (Hard Rock Stadium) in an inconveniently located area to a better ballpark in an inconveniently located neighborhood.
By Bookies.com’s reckoning, LoanDepot Park is located 5.5 miles from Miami’s city center. Regardless of how that’s determined, it’s definitely better than before the move but not great in relation to other MLB teams.
(Which team has it worst in the city-center category, you ask? Why hello there, Tampa Bay Rays!)
The nonexistence of tailgating possibilities doesn’t do the Marlins any favors as Bookies.com sees it. The practice is not allowed in or around the parking garages near the ballpark, further limiting the pregame experience for fans. That fact alone garnered the Marlins a dead-last ranking in the tailgating category, dooming them to last place for pregame fun. (The Rays kill us in that respect, BTW.)
Then there’s the lack of any other entertainment in the vicinity. There are a few restaurants and bars within walking distance, but the area around the ballpark is nowhere near as vibrant as in nearly any other MLB city. (Hello again, Tampa!)
All that said, the team itself appears to be improving on the field. A winning season would bring more fans to the stadium. Maybe they’ll be too amped to notice the deficiencies.
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Ryan Yousefi, a sports journalist and MBA holder in business healthcare management, has been a dedicated weekly contributor to the Miami New Times since 2013. Beyond his sports journalism career, he’s held leadership roles in web3 gaming companies. He enjoys southeast Asia travel, pho, and whiskey, but most of all, being Lincoln’s dad.
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