Florida Marlins fans don't exist?
by craig on Feb 27, 2010 10:35 AM EST
in News
28 comments
I hate to break it to you, but you don't exist.
Or at least according to Will Leitch of Deadspin fame in his recent preview about the Florida Marlins. You really should read the whole article, however, I will grab a little bit for you as a teaser.
I would apologize to Marlins fans if I knew where they were. I mean that in every sense of the word.
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I've never met a Marlins fan.
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One of the countless pleasures of being a baseball fan is knowing that, no matter where you are, no matter who you are, no matter what you believe, there is a rabid fanbase out there that thinks just like you do.
Marlins fans have always been a conundrum to Will. He knows they exist but he can't figure out why they don't attend the games en masse. Marlins fans to Will are like something hidden the woodwork-- you know they are there, but you just haven't seen them. Of course, in order to see some of them you must attend a game in Whatever-the-Heck-it-is-Called-This-Year Stadium. That is where I found some of them. And it was a good thing. The hard part for most people to wrap their minds around is that a lot of the virtual fan base isn't in Florida. Don't ask me why, but it is true. And they can't make it to the games.
At the end of the post he says he cheers for the Marlins. I believe this to be true.
Why am I being so easy on Will Leitch, when if any beat reporters of the Marlins said the same thing I would be writing a novel about how wrong they were? It is simple. About five years ago Gawker launched Deadspin about the same time the SB Nation launched FishStripes. When Deadspin started it didn't allow comments but then thought the better of it and comments were only allowed by people who were invited to comment. That would soon change. Will sent me an email and invited me to comment one Saturday afternoon. The comment thing didn't exactly work, so we had to exchange emails until it did. But after that was cleared up, we chatted for awhile about blogging and stuff. I guess I should have paid more attention since Deadspin went on to fame, glory and riches, while FishStripes went on to... uh, well... hey, at least the SB Nation hasn't contracted us yet. So we have that going for us.
The bottom line is this: Will is a good guy and his post is just in keeping with the theme of Deadspin. Nothing more. But someday he really ought to attend a Marlins home game, preferably on a Friday or Saturday. That is when the locals can make the trek to the stadium. Also, he may even get the joy of experiencing a rain delay. We all love those.
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Well put.
To me, the “Do Marlins fans actually exist?” argument is a lot like the “Bloggers are unemployed losers living in the mothers’ basements” argument. Both distort a lot more than they reveal, and both are easily disproved. That’s what made Leitch’s post so annoying. But then again, he eventually came around to the Marlins’ side (albeit in a slightly backhanded manner), so I’m not going to hold a grudge…
Who are we?
Hey, I live in Pensacola! Its a BIG state. Just because I can’t seem to drive for 6 hours to make it to “what ever it is now” stadium doesn’t mean I’m not a fan. Make it easier to watch games and I will! (oh yeah, don’t charge me an arm and a leg to do it)…
Huge fan bases are overrated
I mean would anyone here really want to be a cubs fan? I’’d rather hear about how bad our fan base is, rather than hear about not winning a title in a hundred years. :)
I didn’t like the article though, the way he picked random blogs and compared them didn’t make sense. There’s far more popular marlins communities online than FishStripes but I prefer this one because it has great content… So I guess I could find a random Cardinals blog with sporadic commenting here and there, and then compare it to a site like marlinsbaseball.com which is pretty popular, that would mean we have better fans than St. Louis right? That’s where i think the article went wrong.
Thank you for the kind words about the content, it really means a lot to us.
FishStripes really isn’t some random blog, we actually get more traffic, unique hits, than any other Marlins blog on the internet. That said, marlinsbaseball.com isn’t a blog, but a message board. Whether or not we get more traffic than them, I can’t say. Though, we sure don’t get as many comments on a daily basis.
I'll catch you yet Craig!!!!!!!!
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might as well sound off here
didn’t know i had to announce my fanhood to random people over the internet but here goes. see you all at sun life later this year my friends. i’ll also be hitting 6 cities thru florida on a spring training trip mid-march. GO FISH!
That's absurd.
Going by the number of comments in the SB Nation blogs, the Pirates, Cardinals and Reds each have more fans than the Cubs, Red Sox and Yankees combined. So yeah, I’m pretty sure the Pirates will outdraw the Cubs this year in attendance.
And if you’re going by attendance figures, I want to know one thing. Did Braves fans exist before 1991? Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was a ghost town between Hammerin’ Hank leaving town and the 1991 playoff run. Yeah, attendance went up a little in 1982 and the few years after that, but otherwise, nobody was a Braves fan back then…
untrue
im a marlins fan from new york nd i go to at least 1 game a series when they play the mets or whenever they play the yankees and ik marlins fans are rare but we exist
One has to wonder...
…how the Marlins’ fan base would’ve developed if the Braves hadn’t been so dominant for a decade after the team launched. I swear that’s one of the two biggest reasons the team has struggled to draw fans in the past — right up there with the inconsistent TV coverage.
If you were in Florida in 1992, odds are you were a Braves fan. (Or a Yankees/Mets fan, in the case of people who recently arrived from New York. Or… etc.) Maybe you weren’t fanatical about the Braves — they were the closest team to you for a long time, but they were a whole state over. But how are you going to desert the Braves when they’re winning every year? Add in the fact that you couldn’t get Marlins games in large parts of South Florida, while the Braves were getting televised nationwide on TBS, and
Of course, the Braves aren’t a good team any more. I don’t know what TV coverage is like in Florida these days — I haven’t lived there for a decade. But if the Marlins can put together some good seasons, and they can get the TV right, and the new stadium (with roof!) provides a boost on that front… well, there are reasons for optimism.
It's a good thing Larry Bird's initials weren't MJ. '80s basketball was confusing enough -- Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Marles Jarkley, Mominique Jilkins... Makeem Jolajuwon...
IT IS TRUE THAT MOST FLORIDA FANS ARE NOT IN FLORIDA
BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE BORN HERE LEAVE HERE AND FOR GOOD REASON! THINK ABOUT IT… HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA THAT ARE NOT FROM FLORIDA? ABOUT 95 % OF THE POPULATION WOULD BE MY GUESS! BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE FROM NEW YORK AND BOSTON, OHIO AND PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE HAVE MOVED HERE THAT THEY HAVE RUN THE NATURAL BORN FLORIDIANS OUT OF TOWN! WE JUST CAN’T DEAL WITH THEM! AND NOT TO MENTION ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES SOUTH OF THE BORDER! THE PLACE IS A MELTING POT!
Stuff like that always makes me mad
It wasn’t even a particularly insightful article. I love the Marlins, but I live in northern PBC and can’t afford to go to a ton of games every year (though I will be going to more now that I live here as opposed to Gainesville).
Gator Bait: The first, and still the best.
i couldn’t agree more… im tired of hearing all this crap about the Marlins not having fans and Miami not deserving a baseball team, when they’re one of the most watched teams on TV. I’m from Miami and I can honestly say that the weather is horrible!, its either really hot and humid or its raining.. now you tell me whos gonna go to a baseball game with weather like that
You Guys Gotta Relax
Obviously Marlins fans exist in a literal sense, it’s hyperbole. To really “exist” in a national sense you need some combination a wins, money, or history, and for the Marlins, wins have been historically inconsistent. It’s not even a big deal though, Royals and Pirate fans (even the Cubs to an extent) only exist cause they have such an impressive history of being losers.
I’m a Braves fan, but don’t even bring them up (IAPiratesfan), nobody thinks we are the gold standard. Interesting thoughts about what would have happened to the Marlins if the Braves didn’t keep winning division titles. I can’t honestly say what I would have done, at this point I will never change, but I started following baseball when the Braves got good, then the Marlins came to town, but the Braves gave me so much more.
This is my first time posting here, seems like great informative coverage. Somebody needs to tell Hickster to chill with the CAPS though, nothing says terrible blog like comments in ALL CAPS.
by vanillathrilla83 on Mar 1, 2010 10:44 AM EST reply actions
I’m another Marlins fan who’s not actually living in South Florida (yet), I’m 3000 miles away in the UK :( So yeah, I only get to go to games the one or two times I fly over to Miami, so it’s not like I’m getting a season ticket!
And as for the typical “Marlins have no fans” jibe, we now have a famous badass among our ranks…. that viral last week showing a big bearded 67-year old guy beating the crap out of annoying thug on a bus, the big guy was wearing a Marlins hat :)
Oh and just because everyone’s not posting on every single thread doesn’t mean nobody’s reading. As the new season gets ever nearer, personally I’m back checking this blog every single day. It’s miles better than any of the crappy newspaper coverage, and I find it’s the best fan blog too – I’d be gutted if it wasn’t here!!
Epic beard man is awesome
But he’s an A’s fan unfortunately, he even got tazed at one of their games.
NYer here...
…awfull stadium. I’m in Hollywood, Fl and don’t even go when the Mets or Yanks are in town, or any other solid franchise. Not sure how the new stadium construction is going but it should have been on the bay. I’m excited about the new stadium but I feel the enthusiasm will wear off quickly. I’ll be on the beach.
by Last year in Sec 127 on Mar 1, 2010 11:38 AM EST reply actions
What I hate
Is that everyone blames the fans. We put up with a lot as Marlins fans. I don’t blame anyone, anywhere for choosing not to follow this team anymore.
I do. But we’ve been burned so often that it makes it hard.
That being said, this is an exciting team and an exciting year. I see more Marlins gear out there now than I ever have before, and that includes 2003.
I’m extremely excited for the season to start… just bought my ticket for the home opener against the Dodgers, and just to prove that there are Marlins fans out there it was hard for me to find good seats because the good ones were selling out fast (and yes i know its mostly cause its the home opening day but thats still crazy)
Well done
Braves fan here, I just wanted to applaud everyone for speaking their mind on their fandom being challenged. Now I know the Braves don’t get it nearly as bad as you guys, and I’m guilty of taking my shots at the Marlins fanbase too (whatever attendance looks like on tv), but as an Atlanta resident, I can tell you that we local fans get a lot of undue criticism for not coming to the park as well, so I kind of know how it feels, if it means anything.
I admire the perspectives and vocal reasons from all of you, and I don’t blame anyone for getting irked with Leitch’s preview; I can’t wait to see what comes out when he previews the Braves.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Stiill...
…looking forward to the start of the season. The Marlins picked up my cousin Vinny, catcher/utility player, so I’m pulling for him. Would be freakin’ sweet to see him play down here. Any word/reports from Spring Training?
by Last year in Sec 127 on Mar 1, 2010 4:49 PM EST reply actions
That's pretty cool
What’s your cousin’s full name? Outside of Baker/Paulino/Hayes/Skipworth I can’t think of any other catchers off the top of my head that might get a ST invite.
Here We Go Again
Yet another guy trashing Marlins fans. Craig, props for protecting this guy, but this isn’t the only source. Its an experience to be a Marlins fan- you watch players progress in front of your very eyes. But its much easier to be a Yankees/Dodgers/any other solid franchise, just cause they are good every year. Even though there aren’t that many, when we do show up, Marlins fans are LOUD.
"Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement."
Marlin Nation is everywhere
im in NC(although i was born in Miami and lived there a while). im also a yankee fan because my family was surprise surprise, transplanted New Yorkers. but i love the marlins just as much as the Yankees.
also, as one guy said above, it seems everyone who was born in south florida, moves away(unless your cuban), and everyone elsewhere, moves to south Florida.
GO:Gators, Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, and Yankees
he who fears losing, has already lost
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