Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
NOBODY’S HOME
Attendance continues to drop as Marlins struggle to draw fans to ballpark
MIAMI — Underneath the cavernous roof of Marlins Park, Pablo Lopez paused for a moment as he prepared to throw his 91st pitch of the game.
Holding a 3-1 lead over the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning, the Marlins right-hander suddenly found himself in a jam with runners leading off first and second base. Still, Lopez was just one strike away from escaping the inning unscathed.
Normally at this point during an MLB game, the home crowd rises to its feet, channeling their energy and encouragement toward the pitcher in an attempt to almost psychically will the final strike. That wasn’t the case Sunday afternoon. As Lopez delivered the decisive pitch, the only audible outburst was the barking from a lone canine in the upper deck.
While Lopez struck out Riley swinging to end the inning, it served as a microcosm of the low-energy environment that’s often permeated throughout Marlins Park this season.
Through 34 home games, Miami is averaging a league-worst 9,326 fans —
down 6.9% from 2018. While attendance has dipped 1.9% league-wide, the Marlins are outpacing that clip by five percent. The lowest-valued franchise in baseball ($1 billion), ticket sales are a key revenue stream for any organization.
Entering Wednesday night, the Marlins (23-42) have drawn over 10,000 fans in just nine times in their first 34 games. Last season, Miami averaged 10,013 fans in 81 home games.
Low attendance is nothing new for the Marlins. Under every ownership group — from Wayne Huizenga to John Henry to Jeffrey Loria to Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter — the franchise has consistently struggled attracting fans to the ballpark, outside of postseason runs in 1997 and 2003.
While the numbers were technically higher under previous regimes, it’s not an apt comparison since the Sherman/Jeter ownership group elected to accurately report attendance, instead of announcing inflated numbers. It was common practice under the previous regimes to include giveaway tickets and ‘no-shows’ under total attendance.
The Marlins are hoping the figures will steadily climb as they attempt to win over the local community.
In its second year under the Sherman/Jeter-led ownership group, Miami has placed a premium on improving the fan experience. This offseason, the organization spent $15 million on stadium renovations, including the addition of standing-room only sections and revamped food and beverage offerings.
In trying to lure new fans to Marlins Park, the franchise focused its offseason marketing push toward the area surrounding the stadium.
“I think for us, we have to worry about obviously getting the fan base that’s closest to us,” Jeter said before the season. “Whether that’s Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Brickell, Pinecrest. All these areas, we really have to focus on marketing toward them and getting them to the park and experience this Marlins brand of baseball now. I think we need to focus on what’s closest to us and then build out.
“We need to focus on the community that’s closest to the park.”
On the business side, the Marlins significantly restructured their executive team less than two months into the season, firing president of business operations Chip Bowers. The former Golden State Warriors chief marketing officer spent just 14 months with the organization. A source said low attendance didn’t factor into his dismissal, however.
Adam Jones, who formerly served as vice president of strategy and development, took over as chief revenue officer, while fellow executive Caroline O’Connor, senior vice president and chief of staff, became chief operating officer.
Miami isn’t the only franchise that’s seen lower gate numbers this year. Despite holding a 41-25 record, the Tampa Bay Rays are 29th (13,790), down three percent from 2018.
In the midst of down seasons, a number of established organizations have experienced even larger drops from last season. The Detroit Tigers (25%), Baltimore Orioles (20%), Kansas City Royals (15%) and Pittsburgh Pirates (7.6%) rank near the bottom in attendance this year.