Goldy, with all due respect, your points are terrible and twisted. Marlins - "Sport popular among Miami's Latino population"? Says who? You must think Miami is all Cuban. Hurricanes: Not everyone in Miami is a Hurricane, and only the newer generations really pay any attention to American football. Panthers: Really? Hockey? In South Florida? Dolphins: Only the newer generations born here pay attention to American football. Heat: The status of basketball here is about the same as that of American football, perhaps slightly better or worse at any given time. "In addition to all of the soccer failures"... The Fusion? You mean the team that played in Fort Lauderdale? Send Miami a DP and run an ad blitz with Barcelona, the new player, and the new club, and we'll see if it's not successful. Your "evidence" demonstrates only one thing - ignorance of the Miami market. I'm happy to see Marcelo Claure and Barcelona understanding the market and not trying to shove something down the throats of Miami fans they're not interested in - an American football team, a basketball team, a baseball team, a hockey team (for God's sake), and a team named "Miami" that played in Fort Lauderdale. You also fail to point out the true miracle - that the Marlins, Dolphins, Panthers, are still around, still going, still playing, and still entertaining what fanbase they do have. In fact, they occassionally do well and at least generate excitement in that way. Now imagine if the sport and team were actually fitted to the market. Don't blame Miami for the judgement (or rather misjudgement or even arrogance) of others.
Marlins: play in the absolute worst venue in the history of Major League Baseball, it doesn't matter if your Bud Selig, it's not an easy sell to get people to come out to games. It's hot, rainy, and generally uncomfortable. However, they do have the 12th best TV ratings in the MLB. Hurricanes: Play, even in South Florida, in a very divided college territory, and they also happen to be a very expensive private school, so they don't have as many fans as the Gators or Seminoles. College sports have no relevance in this. I hate college football in general, but even if I didn't, I did not go to UM so I don't care about them, and that is the case with the majority of South Floridians. Panthers: Have not made the playoffs(that's 8th place) since the '99/00 season. Stick that kind of performance in any town and you get lower attendance. Also, they nearly SOLD OUT the Miami Arena when they played there, before the playoff drought. Dolphins: Again, a performance based issue. This is the first year in a long time they've been respectable. Still, it's not like they're getting 25,000 people at the games. They do fine. Heat: Had the worst record in team history last year and were worst in the NBA. With the quality draft picks they are on the rebound. Fusion: Mismanaged franchise from day one, in a new league with ZERO respect from the Latin soccer savvy community here. People were starting to come around to MLS and the Fusion, but MLS was in trouble, needed to cut operating costs, Horowitz was a bum owner, and we lost the team. Here's my thread with the overall averages for South Florida's team, which even with the Heat and Panthers' stints at the lower capactiy Miami Arena, the Cats' painful 2000-present run, and the Marlins bad venue and dual firesales, are pretty respectable. There is no basis to claim that a properly run team in what is a much stronger, and more respected, MLS will fail because of some skewed attendance figures in other sports.
^^ forgot to actually link the thread here you go: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=824288
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!! Jonathan! I've never seen a better description of a bush league city than what you've posted here. I screams that Miami and all of SE Florida is 2nd rate. Far better is your post in another thread where you point out that the fit may be imperfect (an idea I most emphatiacally do not agree with, BTW), the nice folks in the tri-county still seem to support their teams well enough for them to survive, if not have at least have a moderate prosperity. Possibly, if the good folks down here would overcome their provincial prejudices, all of the major sports, pro & collegiate, would prosper. Somehow or other your post does not fill me with confidence. Understand and accept that there is more to SE Florida than the City of Miami or, for that matter, Miami-Dade County. Within SE Florida are all of the major sports that are played in the USA. You and I would love to add association football to that list. Then we'd have it all & any sport you'd want is available. Just like in all the real major league cities in this country. Please think about that before you start playing down the importance of anything other than getting something we had and lost, just like all the bush league citties do. Hopefully, the folks that are trying to give us this new team understand this, too. If they don't they will not have anywhere near the success they, and WE, want.
All I see are excuses and cop-outs, but the data doesn't lie. Despite being the 7th-largest metro area in the country, Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach has never consistently supported a sports franchise. There are probably a whole host of reasons why, but the proof is in the pudding. My favorite line above: "Marlins - 'Sport popular among Miami's Latino population"? Says who? You must think Miami is all Cuban.'" No, I don't. But last time I checked, baseball was pretty popular in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Mexico as well. Are you denying this?
Don't reply to him. He's the ultimate Miami basher & not worth the time and effort. Put him on your ignore list and move on.....
This guy is definitely not from around here let alone know what nationalities live here, hey dumass, In Miami there is more cubans than anything else but after that there is COLOMBIANs, ARGENTINIANS, VENEZUELANS, GUATEMALANS, HONDURANS, JAMAICANS, HATIANS, PERUVIANS, ECUADORIANS, last time I checked futbol is popular in these countries. And you might want to check Puerto Rico, baseball maybe popular there but i heard of P.R. starting to get popular with soccer possibly trying to get another soccer team for USL. Yea shut up goldy!! Damn and if you want mexicans they not that many in Miami as you would find them mostly in homestead/ florida city (about 2 hours south of Miami)
I'm just overflowing with joy at the thought that this was your favorite quote (and the only point to which you responded), however, the influence on baseball of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans is negligible when we're talking specifically about Miami baseball. Now, if you want to have a discussion on the Miami bid please do discuss, but spitting commentary and the occassional cynical ejaculation only make for everyone assuming that you are indeed of this "Miami bashing" stereotype.
And my favorite line from your post was "Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Pompano Beach". Since when is Pompano Beach important enough to include it in a conversation?
Pompano Beach is lumped in with Miami/Ft. Lauderdale by the U.S. Census Bureau. That's where I got the 7th largest metro area stats. Take it up with them.
"Dumass?"-- Oh, the irony. I never claimed that there weren't other nationalities in Miami. Where did I say that? I was simply responding to the claim where someone said I thought Miami was all Cubans. In my original point, I was trying to show that despite a huge segment of people coming from countries where baseball was the #1 or #2 sport, the Marlins had poor attendance---that's it. And if you do a little research, you'll find out that among the Spanish-speaking population, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans are the three largest groups. That's what I was referring to. I have great respect for Miami and its people. I live in Florida and have spent a ton of time down there. I'm not bashing the city, but rather trying to point out some facts. It's a great city...just not a great sports city based on the lukewarm support of existing teams. If you look at my original post, I wasn't doing any flaming. I'm just trying to discuss facts and why I don't think Miami's a good MLS city.
Let's face it Miami will have an expansion team in 2010 or 2011. So all of you that don't want that can get use to it. We will see if Miami will support or not. Stop all the Miami bashing its getting old.
But if you really lived in Florida you would know that. I think its more like Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Weston
I don't work for the Census Bureau. Pompano Beach didn't make much sense to me either, but that's how the metro area is classified. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas And yes, I do live in Florida and have for 7 years.
I think that link givin in the first post is bogus. One thing it already says Miami-FCB and 2nd the Name the Team option still isnt available.
The most important thing right now for South Florida soccer fans is to send in your season tickets deposits.
Listen to the Marcelo Claure interview from today on www.miamisoccerfan.com. Claure was on 560 WQAM this afternoon. Check it out.
I agree completely. Thanks for the link pb. Claure sounded as good this time as he did live earlier today.
I think their reasoning for going with www.miamifcb.com is to get more publicity for the bid. Claure has said a few times now, including today's interview, the name/colors will be unique to the Miami team, so I'm thinking their trying to cash in on the Barça name as much as possible without resorting to the team name thing later on.
Could be. Thats good to hear that the team and colors will be unique to Miami. Green and Orange, Orange and Green, anyone?
Does anybody have any idea of what is to come on thursday? If we do get awarded a team on Thursday, is this whole topic of florida going to be in the MLS column of expansion teams? I kind of doubt anything will be said on thursday of Miami MLS, but who knows maybe they'll award it to us then!! good luck everybody!!
You never know. The draft is in St. Louis, they have arguably the strongest bid. There will be St. Louis supporters at the draft. I would think that there is a strong chance they at least are announced then, not directly during the draft, but at a pre- or post-draft press conference the same day. If that happens, I think the league has had enough time to weigh their options, and will announce the other team(s?) as well. All we can do is wait and see.