Miami Marlins viewership and attendance plummeting

The Miami Marlins have disappointed on the field this season. That is showing up in the TV ratings, and in the stadium attendance.

Even optimistic fans were reluctant to say that the Miami Marlins had put together a playoff caliber team ahead of the season this year. Nobody doubted the abilities of the hitters in the lineup. Miami has one of the most dangerous in the National League.

But the pitching rotation was suspect at best. The bullpen was hopefully going to be dominant. It hasn’t been. The Marlins are seven games under .500, and aren’t headed to the post-season for the 14th straight season.

It only stands to reason that kind of futility would show up in the television viewership, and the stadium attendance.

The Miami Marlins are near the bottom of MLB in both. Barry Jackson of the Miami-Herald reports that the Miami Marlins have seen a 28 percent plunge in total television viewership. Couple that with their pedestrian attendance numbers and it’s no surprise the sale of the team is taking so long.

When Major League Baseball granted the city of Miami a baseball team, they were seeing big dollar signs. A history of miserly owners have spoiled what could be a riotous fan base. As it stands, the team is near the bottom of nearly every attendance statistic.

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In total number of visitors, they are only one of four teams yet to crack the one-million barrier this season. They have the third worst average attendance of any team in the Major Leagues. They lead only the Devil Rays and the Athletics, who play in arguably the worst ballparks in baseball.

As a reminder, the Miami Marlins play in a shiny, new, retractable roof ballpark funded mostly by hundreds of millions of Dade County taxpayer dollars.

Challenges facing new ownership

One of the biggest gaps to bridge between Loria and incoming ownership is the valuation of the team. Loria wants an unprecedented $1.3 billion in exchange for the keys to the owners office. Potential buyers balk at the price tag.

There are serious concerns about outstanding debt. Whoever the new owner is will need to have pockets deep enough to buy the team, deliver them to financial solvency, and operate them competitively.

Attendance and television numbers have to be considered damning evidence of the teams actual worth. So much of a teams value is tied into the fan base, as they are one of the main revenue streams for the organization.

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There remains potential for a sell out crowd every night at Marlins Park. If we’re being above board, the Miami community has yet to fully accept the Marlins. How can they? Every time they’ve started to, they’ve had the rug pulled out from under them.

New ownership faces a monumental challenge in getting the fan base reenergized. Some fans will come back simply because Jeffery Loria no longer owns the team. Others will be slow to pitch in their lot with the hometown club.

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