BY A.J. KURZMAN
On Christmas Day the Miami Heat played the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the game raced on, Dwyane Wade threw up an alley-oop to reigning MVP LeBron James who threw down a monster dunk. The sell-out crowd of almost 20,000 then erupted into a frenzy; their beloved Heat were en route to another victory. Ecstatic energy echoed throughout the arena, as well as the city of Miami. However, for some, it wasn’t that enjoyable. Genuine Heat fans can’t help but remember the way things used to be just a few years ago. Back when the Heat struggled to win 15 games all season and Wade was on the verge of walking out, you couldn’t give tickets away if you wanted to. What has changed between now and then to create this sudden surge of Heat fans? The sad truth is, in South Florida, the only recipe for selling tickets is a winning team.
Due to all the Northerners, a lot of South Florida sports fans simply aren’t loyal fans of South Florida sports. When they moved down south to escape the unforgiving winter, they brought their allegiance to their hometown teams. That’s why whenever a team from up north comes and visits, it always seems like their fans outnumber ours. Also, with beaches and the exciting nightlife of South Beach, no one has time to go to games. Why waste money on a struggling team when they can go do something that is consistently rewarding.
With Miami overflowing with celebrities, people are constantly struggling to get to the top of the social hierarchy and it is seen as almost “un-cool” to go to a losing team’s game. That’s not a problem for the Miami Heat anymore and it’s now seen as a status symbol to buy Heat tickets. This has not only significantly hiked up ticket prices, but has also taken seats away from the legitimate fans who can no longer afford them. The reality of the situation is that a large percentage of the fans at every Heat game know very little about the team. Game 6 of the NBA finals last season showcased this beautifully. With the Heat facing elimination, they found themselves losing to the Spurs near the end of the game. Consequently, almost 4,000 fans decided that they had no more need to stay and left the arena. However, once the Heat tied it and the game was headed to overtime, their request for re-entry was refused. This just shows how much Heat “fans” actually care about their team when the chips aren’t in their favor.
The situation is even worse for the other teams of South Florida, especially for those who are still struggling. The Miami Marlins are a young franchise with a new look and a new stadium. They have 2 World Series wins in their short history, which is impressive despite their merciless ownership and constant player turnover. Still, they struggle to sell 20,000 tickets a game. In fact, they average 17,000 people a game, which is the second worst attendance record in Major League Baseball. The Miami Dolphins, who have provided the city with rich tradition over the years (the only perfect season in NFL history and 2 Super bowl victories) are now also struggling with a fan base. They have the 4th worst average attendance in the NFL at 58,000 a game. The Florida Panthers average attendance jumped from 15,500 during the 2011-2012 season to 17,000 the year after because of their first trip to the playoffs in 10 years. This shows what a winning team can do in this fair-weather market. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they took a huge step back and finished with the worst record in the NHL in the 2013 season. Given South Florida’s history with losing teams, expect a significant drop in attendance next year
Of course, everyone likes a winning team. True sports fans, however, will stick with their team through thick and thin. Other sports teams still manage to sell out every game despite their record whereas we only sells out if we’re playing a northern team. South Florida sports deserve better fans than that.
