I’m in south dade and the stadium was a trek for me. I’ll probably go to more games in Little Havana, but I doubt it’ll make up for the people from Palm Beach or West Broward who had an easy ride down the turnpike and will forgo the new stadium.

The roof will help, especially for those Sunday day games. The newness will help. Having this team to compete again will definitely help. But I honestly do think this will make much of a difference 3-5 years after the stadium opens. We’ll still be near the bottom.

and i usually go to around 3-4 games a season because of the distance… but i can honestly say that once the new stadium is built ill be going to AT LEAST 15-20 games

Most sports news outlets, particularly ESPN, disproportionally cover the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies, and Mets because those are the most glamorous (and expensive) franchises. Baseball coverage has always had a monetary bias, and until a salary cap comes along, I doubt that will change.

The truth is, who in there right mind is going to drive 1-hour to watch a baseball game and one-hour back every night, especially when there’s always a chance of rain out! It’s rediculous! For me, that’s how long a drive it is for me from where I live in Miami to Joe Robbie Stadium! Remember, games usually start at 7:00 pm so, you’re basically going through rush hour traffic to get to the stadium.

I grew up in Central New Jersey. Philly was an hour away (without rush hour traffic). The mets were a 2 hour mass transit ride, same for the Yanks. Driving was always at least that.

Now I live in Downtown Miami and I went to just as many games this year (I am a partial season ticket holder – 24 – plus some others not in my package).

Real fans of a team or baseball travel, regardless. I don’t think the stadium will change a lot. I am euphoric that we got it, but it will be empty. I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt I will be.

Many people like my family did that trip no problem to see our teams (Phils, Mets, Marlins) at will. It wasn’t a matter of being convenient, or good weather, or a good giveaway. We just wanted to go. If people wanted to go to the Fish, it has always been cheap and easy, and you’ve always gotten to cash your ticket in for another game if it rained.

I would love to say we were like Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, or Cardinals fans. But the truth is, we’re not. We might not ever be. This town is always going to be a football town. However, in 2012, I’m guaranteeing you that attendance will rise significantly. And that’s the point of why the Marlins are getting the stadium a new stadium. Because in 2012, there will be no room for excuses. There will be no rain outs. No long hours stuck in traffic. Payroll will rise once we move into the new stadium, meaning no more excuses that the ownership doesn’t spend any money. You either like baseball and like the Marlins, or you don’t. It’s that simple.

the Dolphins and Canes don’t have a problem selling out and i kinda like being 10 minutes from the stadium lol…i think it mainly the weather factor, but having a roof on the new stadium will surely help that problem

The new stadium is a lot smaller; just 35,000 seats. When we have 15,000 to 20,000 fans out there, it’ll look like a nice crowd out there. And when we play those New York teams we’ll have sold out crowds!