How Do You Like the Stadium Experience Now and What Would You Do to Improve?

[fish16]

Pretty simple. Im interested in the opinions of people who have been to the stadium this year for a game how they like the experience compared to last year? Im lazy as hell and live in downtown miami and havent been to a game all year.

Also, what changes do you want to see going forward? Purely off the field, obviously we'd all love to see an actual contender on the field.

[Namaste]

I wonder why the Marlins draw so poorly.

A guy who authors 8 paragraph posts on the Marlins on the reg and lives in Miami hasn’t been to a game all year.

[fish16]

I wonder why the Marlins draw so poorly.

A guy who authors 8 paragraph posts on the Marlins on the reg and lives in Miami hasn’t been to a game all year.

I also wasnt living in miami for 3 of the months and am super busy with school/work. Do you ever actually comment on the marlins or just posters talking about the marlins?

[emkayseven]

Since the new stadium opened, I've lived in Gainesville, North Carolina, and Orlando, so I've actually only been to the new stadium 4 times (not counting the ASG festivities). When I was living in Gainesville and they played at Pro Robbie I'd make it to 4-5 games a year. It was just much simpler to get to from my parents' house in Coral Springs. I didn't spend time in Miami growing up and as such it's kind of terrifying to me because of the traffic and the parking (not because of the people, don't take it that way). I've never driven to the new stadium, I've always gotten my friend to drive. That's the number one issue I have with the new stadium, and I'm not sure how they could fix it because I don't think it's fixable. It's just too much of a haul from Broward.

Once I'm at the stadium I love it, I think the atmosphere is great, even when it's 80% empty. The place was electric for the ASG. Love the food there, love the aesthetics and love that you can see the game while walking the concourse. I do wish there were maybe a few more "activity" type things in the concourses (like a museum or something) -- other than the bobblehead display there's nothing to really do or see outside of the game.

[Namaste]

I also wasnt living in miami for 3 of the months and am super busy with school/work. Do you ever actually comment on the marlins or just posters talking about the marlins?

You’re the only person on the board who is super busy with work.

FACT

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I live 500 feet from the Palm Beach County line, I work 50 hours a week and I’ve been to 5 games this year to watch this beyond sub par product.

How someone could post volumes about the Marlins (usually repeating the same thing over and over again about how great the rebuild is going), live in Miami and NOT make it to ONE game this year absolutely blows my mind.

[fish16]

You’re the only person on the board who is super busy with work.

FACT

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I live 500 feet from the Palm Beach County line, I work 50 hours a week and I’ve been to 5 games this year to watch this beyond sub par product.

How someone could post volumes about the Marlins (usually repeating the same thing over and over again about how great the rebuild is going), live in Miami and NOT make it to ONE game this year absolutely blows my mind.

Ive lived in miami for April and moved back mid august. I also lived about 500 ft from the palm beach county line and they couldnt pay me to make that drive for an individual game for a shitty team, but that gets back to the issue of putting the stadium where they put it. And congrats on being such a phenomenal fan, i'll continue to watch at home until they get better where i'll also be able to watch them lose but do it from the comfort of my home without spending money to do so.

[emkayseven]

Inclined to agree with fish16 here. Not much to drive you to the ballpark. I think I've watched 20 games this season. Life has been busy and it causes more sadness than excitement.

If I were IN Miami I'd probably have made it to a few games. Anywhere else and I doubt I'd have gone to more than the 1 I went to this season.

[gustavopim]

I've been to 14 games at Marlins park this year plus two games at the Tropicana Field.

My first game of the season was Opening day and it was fine. The sun was brutal beating down on us. At least they gave free sunscreen to protect ourselves. In my opinion, inside the ballpark fan experience is good but not great. Food could be cheaper, beer could be cheaper, music is WAY TOO LOUD. I honestly don't really care about other things going around the ballpark because I usally seat in my seats (that are not really my seats) and stay there. I hate the flow of people going up and down 35 times a game to get food or something.

About the sitting experience, I had the ballpark pass for July and August (30 bucks a month for every game of the month) and it says "standing room only" on the ticket. However, you pretty much can seat anywhere you want. Not one Marlins employee knew what "stading room" meant. So I usually seat in seacting 21 which is pretty good.

I take my own food and always get a free soda at the "bud be the designated driver thing". Why pay $9 for a hot dog if I can take my $1.50 Costco hot dog? Or a Publix sub that is cheaper and better quality than food in the ballpark? Soda there tastes like toilet water and most machines don't have ice.

Parking: I usually park in one of the houses that the exit to 836 ramps is right there. It's only $10 and a lot better than the $20 that the Marlins charge and you get stuck inside the parking building for 20 minutes or more.

Crowd: In my opinion, the ballpark is more crowded this year than last year. I'm not sure if that's because of the neighboorhood nights or what. One thing that pisses me off is that most people that are there are not "real" fans. It's probably their first time attending a ballgame. So no one chants, no one boos, no one claps. When the Mets or even the Braves are in town they make more noise than us with a smaller crowd.

Usually, I got to games that have some sort of giveaway. I'm getting feed up with T-shirts giveaway that are only L and XL. I have at least 6 Marlins shirts that I can't use anywhere because I'm an M and they only giveaway XL. They say that one size fits all, but 90% of the people who got it have T-shirts that are huge for them (kids, woman, most guys are not XL size). Also, you have to get to the ballpark before 6 to get giveaways.

Suggestions: Make parking cheaper - $20 is more expensive than the ticket for the game.
Cheaper beer - If they sell a can of Corona for $6 at the 5th base why don't they do that inside? $14 for beer is outrageous.
Make that everyone that gets to the ballpark early get a giveaway if they go inside the 5th base. I usually get there around 530 on giveaway days and I have to stand in line instead of relaxing at the 5th base afraid I'm going to lose my giveaway.
Make more giveaways/ not one size fits all - Not everyone (most people) are XL.
Don't charge so much in online fees - For some reason it's cheaper to buy tickets at the ballpark than online. Even if they print the ticket, have people working there, etc etc.
Turn music and sounds down - Music is way too loud if you get there early it's unberable. It's not a damn club. When I went to the game at the Trop if felt like a whole different game because they don't use sound effects so much. In Marlins park it's every pitch and that kills any chants going on.
Turn the AC down - I always have to take a jacket to games because it's super cold inside. Most people that I talk too also complain about the AC (it's like a super cold stream of wind in our necks).

I guess that's all I can think of. I'm coming from a "soccer stadium in Brazil" background where it's only the stadium and the game. No art, no concession stands, only 80 thousand people and the game insde the stadium.

[emkayseven]

The thing I meant about other stuff to do isn't about during the game, it's really for before the game. Because of traffic and parking and giveaways I've gotten there before 6 every time I've gone. And then...you're just there. I don't need to go to the shop, I've seen the bobbleheads (and have a more extensive and impressive collection of my own anyway). Something else would be cool. Tropicana Field is actually my thing I always point to -- they have the Rays touch tank, a cigar bar, a whole kids zone, place to make your own Topps baseball card, etc.

I do agree, in my times there, it's too much sound effects. It's like they're trying to make up for the lack of ambient crowd noise.

As for food and beer, it's expensive but that's pretty much anywhere. However now there's a trend to lower prices in places (saw recently, I think the Falcons are going to have $5 craft beer). They should do that, at least at one stand. Even at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in Palm Beach, the beers are all $12-$15, but there's always one stand selling $4 Rolling Rocks. I think they're 10 ounces. Who cares though?

[fish16]

The thing I meant about other stuff to do isn't about during the game, it's really for before the game. Because of traffic and parking and giveaways I've gotten there before 6 every time I've gone. And then...you're just there. I don't need to go to the shop, I've seen the bobbleheads (and have a more extensive and impressive collection of my own anyway). Something else would be cool. Tropicana Field is actually my thing I always point to -- they have the Rays touch tank, a cigar bar, a whole kids zone, place to make your own Topps baseball card, etc.

I do agree, in my times there, it's too much sound effects. It's like they're trying to make up for the lack of ambient crowd noise.

As for food and beer, it's expensive but that's pretty much anywhere. However now there's a trend to lower prices in places (saw recently, I think the Falcons are going to have $5 craft beer). They should do that, at least at one stand. Even at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in Palm Beach, the beers are all $12-$15, but there's always one stand selling $4 Rolling Rocks. I think they're 10 ounces. Who cares though?

Completely agree. Nothing they can really do now because they already decided to put the stadium where it is, but that area just absolutely sucks as far as hanging around the stadium before/after games unlike many of the best parks in baseball. They tried with the retail space on the first floor of the parking garage, but obviously no business will be able to stay in business there long term when its a terrible area, there are only 81 games a year, and no one goes to the games even when there is a game.

[Namaste]

And congrats on being such a phenomenal fan, i'll continue to watch at home until they get better where i'll also be able to watch them lose but do it from the comfort of my home without spending money to do so.

Classic fair weather fan mentality and one of the main reasons MLB will never have sustained success in Miami.

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The standard excuse for not attending games used to be, “it’s too hot out” or “it might rain”. That has transitioned into, “I’ll watch from home because it’s cheaper”. What the fuck, man.

[emkayseven]

Every excuse is a cover for "the team sucks." I've always believed that. I can't call fish16 a fair weather fan, he writes essays about this shitty 100-loss team and defends brand new ownership. The bottom line is, if the team is good, more people will show up. More doesn't mean sell outs. The stadium location still sucks, there's nothing to do there, etc. Absent a true downtown ballpark vibe with bars and restaurants and shops, they should be having regular food truck gatherings outside the stadium, as much live music as possible, and create some interesting events to get people to the area. Most ballparks are cool to hang around even if you don't actually go to the game. Not the case with Miami. I could theoretically envision it being like that in 20 years, but it's awful now.

Rays are a great example, there is some neat stuff surrounding the stadium on Central Ave but it's too far to walk to the stadium. So no one goes. Meanwhile you take a place like Cleveland or Baltimore where the ballpark is in walking distance from awesome restaurants and bars and it's a totally different vibe. I'm purposely excluding places like Fenway and Wrigley here because they're a different animal. These are newer ballparks developed correctly.

I wonder if Jeter & Co will ever really invest in the city the way Shad Khan has in Jacksonville. He's been instrumental in building up parts of Jacksonville that have long been underserved. He's poured money into the community and now stuff is popping up all over near the stadium in areas that used to be garbage.

[Finsanity]

The drive is brutal from FtL north, but I do it as often as I can when I visit. Been to multiple games each of the last 5 years, and go to any game in any city I visit. Couple of things that really stand out about Marlins Park in a good way - the roof is awesome. Can't overstate how lucky fans are. Even in Seattle, where they have a retractable roof, it's still very cold much of the year and uncomfortable for baseball. Also with Seattle and other sports cities who draw big crowds... you have crowds to contend with. Not a problem at Marlins Park. Give and take with the atmosphere, but standing in line for the jimmy, or waiting in traffic to exit the park is no fun.

Easiest suggestion I could make would be to open the gates in time for the full home team batting practice. BP is outstanding. Great opportunity to try to get a ball beyond the OF fence, or stand down by the dugouts to try to get an autograph. Those lasting keepsakes matter (to some). To those who go the the game for the beer... I can't help you with that.

[fish16]

Classic fair weather fan mentality and one of the main reasons MLB will never have sustained success in Miami.

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The standard excuse for not attending games used to be, “it’s too hot out” or “it might rain”. That has transitioned into, “I’ll watch from home because it’s cheaper”. What the fuck, man.

Dont really care. The team isnt good and im not wasting my money to watch 1/162nd of a season. The combination of the sport of baseball being boring as hell, the things to do near the stadium being non-existent, the fact that any 1 game in the regular season is meaningless, and that the team is in year 1 of a rebuild ensures im not wasting my time or money to make an effort to get to the stadium by 7

I also find baseball to be dying and for it to be incredibly hard to watch a full game in person unless there is a compelling pitching matchup. If they get good again ill be there. Call it bandwagon, I dont really care, im just not wasting my time or money to watch this team.

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Every excuse is a cover for "the team sucks." I've always believed that. I can't call fish16 a fair weather fan, he writes essays about this shitty 100-loss team and defends brand new ownership. The bottom line is, if the team is good, more people will show up. More doesn't mean sell outs. The stadium location still sucks, there's nothing to do there, etc. Absent a true downtown ballpark vibe with bars and restaurants and shops, they should be having regular food truck gatherings outside the stadium, as much live music as possible, and create some interesting events to get people to the area. Most ballparks are cool to hang around even if you don't actually go to the game. Not the case with Miami. I could theoretically envision it being like that in 20 years, but it's awful now.

Rays are a great example, there is some neat stuff surrounding the stadium on Central Ave but it's too far to walk to the stadium. So no one goes. Meanwhile you take a place like Cleveland or Baltimore where the ballpark is in walking distance from awesome restaurants and bars and it's a totally different vibe. I'm purposely excluding places like Fenway and Wrigley here because they're a different animal. These are newer ballparks developed correctly.

I wonder if Jeter & Co will ever really invest in the city the way Shad Khan has in Jacksonville. He's been instrumental in building up parts of Jacksonville that have long been underserved. He's poured money into the community and now stuff is popping up all over near the stadium in areas that used to be garbage.

Completely agree. I think they will figure it out somewhat and tweak things with time, but with the stadium being where it is it is so hard to create the type of atmosphere surrounding the park that some of the best parks in baseball have.

[emkayseven]

It's not hard, they just don't do it. Food trucks are actually a way to MAKE money because you can charge for the spot. Pull permits for a few days a month and voila, you have an event.

They should be partnering with other local institutions too for some kind of day or night at the ballpark. J Wakefield couldn't do a beer release event outside the stadium, for example? The Marlins should be courting these types of opportunities.

And I'm not sure who owns the spaces at the parking garage (city or county or team) but there ought to be a local family-friendly sports bar. That's the kind of place that can survive year-round even when there aren't games, but when there are games people will go get dinner or beer afterwards. Maybe a high-markup mid-range type restaurant like hibachi. Markup is high enough during the season that you can be slower during the winter and get away with it. Give Juice a Headz Up location outside the park so people can go there for haircuts. Maybe he's there every now and again. Arcade? Antique store? If you give people a reason to be at the stadium early or to stay there late, 1) there's more of an incentive to go as opposed to just driving there for a 3 hour game, and 2) it decreases the traffic flow because people are arriving and leaving at different times.

The atmosphere at Abacoa outside Roger Dean Stadium is infinitely better than the Marlins stadium. I'd rather watch a ST game there and then have something to do afterward over trekking down to Miami and then squeezing myself into traffic and sitting there for 20 minutes until I can get on the highway to drive home for an hour.