Laurence Leavy is bothering the Kansas City Royals. The man who has been deemed 'Marlins Man," the one who wears a bright orange Marlins jersey to sporting events that sometimes do not directly involve the Marlins, is reportedly disturbing the Royals' front office.
But the sight of Leavy in Miami orange rattled the home team enough that he said stadium officials asked him to move — or at least cover up with a Kansas City Royals shirt.
Marlins Man would have none of that Tuesday night. And he said he would be back for other World Series games.
"The owner of the Royals was extremely upset that I was there," Leavy said Wednesday.
Leavy has worn that bright orange Marlins jersey ever since the he wore it to the NBA Finals and the Heat won an NBA title. That game was a "white out," and Leavy was one of the few not dressed in white. Amy K. Nelson of SB Nation told his story two seasons ago, revealing his thoughts on Miami's baseball organization and the way in which they operate.
Kansas City's frustration is understandable considering Leavy's position. He is on almost every television shot as a result of sitting behind home plate, and orange does not fit in well with a crowd of almost exclusively blue. But requesting that he take off his jersey may be a bit extreme. Many fans often times wear jerseys of players on other teams or who play other sports to baseball games. They just don't sit in the front row.
A Royals spokesman said no one asked him to leave his seat or to take off the jersey.
"I think it's great," said P.J. Loyello, vice president of communications and broadcasting for the Miami Marlins. "He's one of our loyal season-ticket holders. He's definitely easy to pick out with that jersey. It's fun to pick him out. It's reached a point where we expect to see him at games now. It's fun. It's sports."
Miami's top marketing executives are confident in the decision because of the fact that they are gaining national exposure. The Marlins, after the most recent fire sale trade with Toronto, lost season ticket holders, and are in the process of trying to keep the loyal fans pleased.
Leavy has attended several sporting events in his orange Marlins jersey, but is only recently being recognized. Maybe it's because of the series matchup, or maybe just because he always appears to be involved in some way.
What do you think? Is he right to wear the Marlins jersey in KC? Or were the Royals correct is asking him to remove it?