MarlinsFan19

Tropicana Field does have a scoreboard but it is one of those 90’s style lightbulb scoreboards, not a large high definition screen that displays information. Their concourse is not nearly as open as the one in Marlins Park. St. Petersburg didn’t “gamble” on having baseball when they built Tropicana Field. The city built the Suncoast Dome in 1990 to host conventions, CFB bowl games and events such as Monster Jam. It just so happened to be that MLB came in 1998. The dome was cheaply built eight years before the Rays came in so the city didn’t “gamble” on baseball at all. By the way, that guy from England who decided to put an MLS team in South Florida is about to change the history of soccer in the state of Florida. He has several important investors and has shown he is ready to commit to winning from Day 1 unlike... Orlando City SC, 4 years as an MLS team, 0 Playoff Appearances in a league where 55% of teams make the playoffs.

The Marlins situation is much different from the Rays situation. The Marlins draw 7,000-9,000 fans for a rebuilding team. The Rays draw 9,000 fans per night with a team that is LEADING the AL East. The only instances in which the Rays draw 10,000 or more fans is if their facing the Yankees or Red Sox. I’ve been to Marlins Park this year and it looks AMAZING, the renovations that we’re completed further enchance the profile of the stadium and provide more interactive areas for fans (specifically younger generations). Tropicana Field is an old concrete dome that has no outdoor view and lacks many modern amenities found in other ballparks (scoreboard, concourses, retractable roof). It looks so bad on TV I’ve never even thought to go to a game there. When the Rays move out of the Bay Area in the Late 2020’s because they can’t secure funding for a new venue or draw more than 10,000 fans against an average MLB team, the value of the Marlins TV rights skyrocket because we would then be the only MLB team that can be viewed on TV in South, Central and North Florida.

According to a news report, Sinclair Broadcasting has agreed to buy the Fox Regional Sports Networks for about $10 Billion. Sinclair owns Stadium which is 24/7 sports network that specializes in highlighting Group of 5 NCAA programs with live events from C-USA, Sun Belt, Mountain West, etc.). Interesting to see if the sale will effect coverage of the Marlins in the long term. FYI: Sinclair will be negotiating the Marlins TV Deal which ends shortly. Also, Sinclair gets all of the Florida Gators multimedia rights including Radio, TV Studio Shows, and other forms of marketing such as signage at facilities. Learfield-IMG College has the Gators radio rights through a subcontract with Fox Sports Regional Networks. The Marlins next TV deal should average $100 Million per year since by 2028 we will be the only team in the 3rd largest state in the U.S. after the Rays move to Montreal/Portland/Las Vegas. https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/disney-fox-rsns-sinclair-1203203930/?yptr=yahoo

Fox Sports recently added the Marlins opening day game vs. the Rockies on Fox Sports Go for those in North and Central Florida. Marlins Live! is airing now.

This does apply for the Tampa TV Market (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, etc.) but all other TV markets in North and Central Florida will be blacked out from seeing the game on out-of-market packages (Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando) on both MLB Extra Innings and MLB.tv. Tampa gets an exemption from Marlins blackouts because of proximity to Tropicana Field.

Opening Day is a huge marketing opportunity for the Marlins including young stars and a updated ballpark. Also, the Marlins TV deal ends after this year. Based on what the Rays got the Marlins should get at least a $100 Million per year TV deal. Marlins have two championships, are committed to Miami, and have an owner that is committed to the long-term. ALSO: If the Rays leave the Marlins will be the only team in the 3rd largest state in the country.

This is even worse than originally thought. The South Florida viewing area will get the Marlins and Rays (on Fox Sports Sun) even though the Heat have a game starting at 7:30 PM tomorrow night. North/Central Florida will only get the Rays even though the Magic game starts only 30 Minutes earlier than the Heat game on Fox Sports Florida. So to Review FS Sun (South Florida Area) 3-4 Rays Live 4-7 Rays vs Astros 7-7:30 Heat Live 7:30-10 Heat Game FS Florida (North/Central Florida Area) 3-4:30 Red Bull Racing 4:30-6:30 Inside The Magic 6:30-7 Magic Live 7-9:30 Magic Game So the Rays get Opening Day viewed in 100% of the state but the Marlins can only get Opening Day viewed in 50% of the state.

They can request it however the Magic will take priority once their pregame show starts at 6:30 which is fine. From 3:00-6:30 they could show Marlins Live and the first 7 innings of the Marlins game instead of Inside the Magic which chronicles an NBA team that has won 0 Championships and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2012.

The way Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports are programmed is very unusual especially for NBA and NHL games. The way it’s broken down is: Miami-Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce, and Naples-Fort Myers viewers get the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers. Everyone North of those areas get the Orlando Magic and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both MLB teams (Marlins, Rays) are supposed to be broadcast statewide. MLB Out-of-Market packages blackout the Marlins in the entire state of Florida. It’s not MLB’s fault though because Fox Sports Florida has the exclusive rights to broadcast Marlins games throughout the state.

For some reason, Fox Sports Florida has decided to forego airing the Marlins Opening Day game vs Colorado tomorrow in North and Central Florida. There is an Orlando Magic game airing at 7:00 PM but the pregame doesn’t start until 6:30 PM. They could have showed the Marlins game from 4-6:30 but instead they are showing meaningless Magic reruns. Hope this changes when Fox Sports Florida and Fox Sports Sun are sold. UPDATE: This is even worse than originally thought. The South Florida viewing area will get the Marlins and Rays (on Fox Sports Sun) even though the Heat have a game starting at 7:30 PM tomorrow night.  North/Central Florida will only get the Rays even though the Magic game starts only 30 Minutes earlier than the Heat game on Fox Sports Florida. So to Review FS Sun (South Florida Area) 3-4 Rays Live 4-7 Rays vs Astros 7-7:30 Heat Live 7:30-10 Heat Game FS Florida (North/Central Florida Area) 3-4:30 Red Bull Racing 4:30-6:30 Inside The Magic 6:30-7 Magic Live 7-9:30 Magic Game So the Rays get Opening Day viewed in 100% of the state but the Marlins can only get Opening Day viewed in 50% of the state.