My list is not based on live crowds or who has more "live crowds"(huh?) It is based on who has the highest amount of fans in South Florida, winning or losing. Yes, I do think that is the Marlins. We are the most successful franchise (not counting the Canes here) in South Florida for the last dozen plus years or so.

 

Yes the attendance numbers aren't great, but we really do have more outside factors contributing to that than any other franchise. Rain is a near daily threat in South Florida during baseball season, and the majority just are not going to drive a long distance if the threat exists of the game being canceled. Plus you need to factor in the strike and extreme fire sales.

 

But if you look at attendance numbers+TV Ratings+radio ratings, you are out of your mind if you think the Panthers have a larger fan base than the Florida Marlins. Not even worth arguing.

 

 

Now that you say that, it's actually true, so good job.

But seriously, the Panthers are underrated as far as fans goes. The only reason the BAC doesn't draw more people, is simply b/c the franchise hasn't done squat in 8 years.

 

#1 I think is the Dolphins though, bro. Just listen to the radio. It's a disgrace to sports shows around the country, down here.

 

 

Agreed, 8th I believe in attendance for the Dolphins while going 1-15, and 0-13 to start. 72,000 fans filled opening night 2 seasons ago (I was there for the announced crowd) The Marlins do have a very nice fanbase, better than the Heat in my eyes, THAT is the franchise where its bandwagon or none. 2005-2006 was a sellout season... now that they suck go look at their wonderful attendance... they have, by far, the best arena for fans being in the center of Miami, downtown, on the water, near so many homes. Both the Marlins and the Panthers have western stadiums that just about everyone has to take a good ride, which strongly affects their outcomes. As far as total fans though, its so hard to determine who has more vs. the Panthers and the Marlins, but seeing that they have a losing team for 8 years in a row, and 14,000 fans still show up every game, 80%, I would bump that to the Cats. Of course for #2 spot, I would hand it over to the Hurricanes, just because football is THE sport in south Florida.

Back on topic, Gainesville(UF at least) has many more fans than I expected. I'd say the team breakdown is like this up here:

 

1. Marlins

2. Rays

 

 

3. Yankees

4. Braves

 

 

I totally agree: there are a lot more Marlins fans up here than I ever expected. Whenever I wear my Marlins hat at least two or three people say something to me (like "Hell Yeah" or "Go Fish" at school, around town, wherever. But in my experience, the team breakdown is a little different. I've seen:

 

1. Marlins

2. Yankees

3. Red Sox

4. Braves

5. Rays

My list is not based on live crowds or who has more "live crowds"(huh?) It is based on who has the highest amount of fans in South Florida, winning or losing. Yes, I do think that is the Marlins. We are the most successful franchise (not counting the Canes here) in South Florida for the last dozen plus years or so.

 

Yes the attendance numbers aren't great, but we really do have more outside factors contributing to that than any other franchise. Rain is a near daily threat in South Florida during baseball season, and the majority just are not going to drive a long distance if the threat exists of the game being canceled. Plus you need to factor in the strike and extreme fire sales.

 

But if you look at attendance numbers+TV Ratings+radio ratings, you are out of your mind if you think the Panthers have a larger fan base than the Florida Marlins. Not even worth arguing.

 

 

Now that you say that, it's actually true, so good job.

But seriously, the Panthers are underrated as far as fans goes. The only reason the BAC doesn't draw more people, is simply b/c the franchise hasn't done squat in 8 years.

 

#1 I think is the Dolphins though, bro. Just listen to the radio. It's a disgrace to sports shows around the country, down here.

 

 

Agreed, 8th I believe in attendance for the Dolphins while going 1-15, and 0-13 to start. 72,000 fans filled opening night 2 seasons ago (I was there for the announced crowd) The Marlins do have a very nice fanbase, better than the Heat in my eyes, THAT is the franchise where its bandwagon or none. 2005-2006 was a sellout season... now that they suck go look at their wonderful attendance... they have, by far, the best arena for fans being in the center of Miami, downtown, on the water, near so many homes. Both the Marlins and the Panthers have western stadiums that just about everyone has to take a good ride, which strongly affects their outcomes. As far as total fans though, its so hard to determine who has more vs. the Panthers and the Marlins, but seeing that they have a losing team for 8 years in a row, and 14,000 fans still show up every game, 80%, I would bump that to the Cats. Of course for #2 spot, I would hand it over to the Hurricanes, just because football is THE sport in south Florida.

 

 

The problem with handing the Canes the #2 spot is that we have a ton of Gator fans and Seminole fans also. I'd say it is something like 50% Cane fans, 30% Gators, 20% Seminoles. Yes football is king here, but the Canes don't dominant the fan base the way the Dolphins do, especially with the Gators winning recently and the Canes being down.

 

Think how hard it is also for a South Florida student to actually go to UM, that's another reason we have too many Gator/Seminole fans down here. For the most part only the rich trust fund babies (mostly from the NE) actually go to UM.

The problem with handing the Canes the #2 spot is that we have a ton of Gator fans and Seminole fans also. I'd say it is something like 50% Cane fans, 30% Gators, 20% Seminoles. Yes football is king here, but the Canes don't dominant the fan base the way the Dolphins do, especially with the Gators winning recently and the Canes being down.

 

Think how hard it is also for a South Florida student to actually go to UM, that's another reason we have too many Gator/Seminole fans down here. For the most part only the rich trust fund babies (mostly from the NE) actually go to UM.

 

And thats exactly why I didnt throw in those obnoxious spaces. Its close, not dominant.

+5 from my table at lunch in Braddock were the only table in lunch that talk about the marlins everyday.

The problem with handing the Canes the #2 spot is that we have a ton of Gator fans and Seminole fans also. I'd say it is something like 50% Cane fans, 30% Gators, 20% Seminoles. Yes football is king here, but the Canes don't dominant the fan base the way the Dolphins do, especially with the Gators winning recently and the Canes being down.

 

Think how hard it is also for a South Florida student to actually go to UM, that's another reason we have too many Gator/Seminole fans down here. For the most part only the rich trust fund babies (mostly from the NE) actually go to UM.

 

And thats exactly why I didnt throw in those obnoxious spaces. Its close, not dominant.

 

 

:lol at obnoxious spaces. Don't be so sensitive.

+5 from my table at lunch in Braddock were the only table in lunch that talk about the marlins everyday.

You go to Braddock? Class of 05 representing!

For the record, I would put it like this

1. Dolphins - It's already been said that their attendances was 10th during this horrible season. Plus, just look around.

2. Canes - Everyone down here seems to "wish they were a Miami Hurricane"

3. Heat - The Heat are 14-64...and rank 8th in attendance.

4. Marlins - Dead last in attendance but they put up solid TV ratings.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance, TV ratings are rather sad. Their fan are a bit more of the die-hard variety from what I've seen, but there are less of them.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

%'s mean nothing, it just means they have a bigger arena. Also, they were like 17th before the Luongo trade.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

%'s mean nothing, it just means they have a bigger arena. Also, they were like 17th before the Luongo trade.

Ok, we'll go averages..

 

They were 17th in 03-04. They the strike happened which arguably hurt the entire sport. They came back at 19nd in 05-06. Then 22nd in 06-07. And 25th this past season. Unlike the Marlins, their attendance has dropped over the last 3 seasons.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

 

Since when does percentage make it unfair for those who have SMALLER arenas? It makes it unfair for those with LARGER arenas, because to raise there percentage, they need to have MORE fans. In the NHL this year, by far, the Islanders had the worst attendance. You also gotta realize that the difference in attendance from 22nd to 26th is not a big difference... its like 600, so you really cant use position either. Fact is they had 15,000 fans out there average.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

 

Since when does percentage make it unfair for those who have SMALLER arenas? It makes it unfair for those with LARGER arenas, because to raise there percentage, they need to have MORE fans. In the NHL this year, by far, the Islanders had the worst attendance. You also gotta realize that the difference in attendance from 22nd to 26th is not a big difference... its like 600, so you really cant use position either. Fact is they had 15,000 fans out there average.

Ok, fine, that's still lower than the 17,000 fan average for the Marlins. And the face that the attendance for the Panthers have gotten smaller every year since 2004 is a valid position.

 

For the record, I am both one of the 17,000 and 15,000 that go to watch both teams.

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

 

Since when does percentage make it unfair for those who have SMALLER arenas? It makes it unfair for those with LARGER arenas, because to raise there percentage, they need to have MORE fans. In the NHL this year, by far, the Islanders had the worst attendance. You also gotta realize that the difference in attendance from 22nd to 26th is not a big difference... its like 600, so you really cant use position either. Fact is they had 15,000 fans out there average.

Ok, fine, that's still lower than the 17,000 fan average for the Marlins. And the face that the attendance for the Panthers have gotten smaller every year since 2004 is a valid position.

 

For the record, I am both one of the 17,000 and 15,000 that go to watch both teams.

 

 

you are aware that 17,000 is PAID attendance figures, not in house attendance? I hate to have to pull this out but:

5. Panthers - Also dead last in attendance

Did you even research this? Because they're not.

I'm going by percentages. I felt it was unfair to put them above people with a smaller arena. Their 80% is the lowest in the league. They are 25th by average crowd.

 

So yes, I did research that.....BooYah!

 

Since when does percentage make it unfair for those who have SMALLER arenas? It makes it unfair for those with LARGER arenas, because to raise there percentage, they need to have MORE fans. In the NHL this year, by far, the Islanders had the worst attendance. You also gotta realize that the difference in attendance from 22nd to 26th is not a big difference... its like 600, so you really cant use position either. Fact is they had 15,000 fans out there average.

Ok, fine, that's still lower than the 17,000 fan average for the Marlins. And the face that the attendance for the Panthers have gotten smaller every year since 2004 is a valid position.

 

For the record, I am both one of the 17,000 and 15,000 that go to watch both teams.

 

 

you are aware that 17,000 is PAID attendance figures, not in house attendance? I hate to have to pull this out but:

 

 

Just as much as I realized that 1, that's a very unfair depiction of the average game crowd.

 

and 2, EVERY sport uses paid attendance. The Heat are ranked 8th, but the AAA looks like a ghost town.

15,000 in hockey is better than 17,000 in baseball. I'm not sure what we're trying to argue, but I'd say the Panthers are definatly a healthier franchise relative to their sport than the Marlins are, which can change when the Marlins get a new stadium. The Heat, Dolphins, and Panthers are all doing dandy right now(not on the field of course) which shows this market has potential to support teams.

15,000 in hockey is better than 17,000 in baseball. I'm not sure what we're trying to argue, but I'd say the Panthers are definatly a healthier franchise relative to their sport than the Marlins are, which can change when the Marlins get a new stadium. The Heat, Dolphins, and Panthers are all doing dandy right now(not on the field of course) which shows this market has potential to support teams.

While I agree on that, it also has to be shown that Hockey is the smaller sport, and has the 25th ranked attendance in the smallest sport. Their attendance is not good.

 

Plus, I feel it is the area's media coverage, and the Marlins TV and Radio rating versus those of the Panthers show that the Marlins have the larger fan base.

Well of course the Marlins have the larger fanbase, I'm just saying you shouldn't be ignoring all the support people show for the Panthers and talk about them as some kind of failed franchise.

Just as much as I realized that 1, that's a very unfair depiction of the average game crowd.

 

and 2, EVERY sport uses paid attendance. The Heat are ranked 8th, but the AAA looks like a ghost town.

 

 

exactly. Every sport uses paid attendance. The Panthers get more of a 12,000 in house whereas the Marlins get like... 8,000..

I would also say the Marlins need a stadium of their own.

I personally would rather watch the game at home, since I don't get the greatest seats in the world when I go. Plus, there's always 1 idiot sitting next to you at a Marlins game, for some reason, it seems.

 

Meanwhile, the Panthers have an arena of their own, with a nice environment. Cowbell and all.

 

Marlins need a stadium. TV Ratings are an indication that there are fans. You also have to consider some people that don't want to give their money to Wayne Huizenga. There are a lot more things involved, imo.

It's close.

Well of course the Marlins have the larger fanbase, I'm just saying you shouldn't be ignoring all the support people show for the Panthers and talk about them as some kind of failed franchise.

I'm not. I never said that. I myself am a Panthers supporter and had a Panthers sig until the end of the season (God forbid I become a Dolphins or Heat fan during the offseason). I was answering to the couple people who were saying that the Panthers had a larger base than the Marlins.

 

If fanbase followed which franchise was the healthiest, it would go.

 

1. Panthers - This could be debated, just fired their coach and haven't made the playoffs in years.

2. Marlins - New stadium coming, good young team.

3. Canes - Terrible. Losers.

4. Heat - Double terrible. Double losers.

5. Dolphins - Triple terrible. Triple Losers.

Meanwhile, the Panthers have an arena of their own, with a nice environment. Cowbell and all.

This is way off topic, but the Marlins need to act more like the Panthers in that regard. Peanut Butter Jelly Time/Cowbell >>> Manatees/Scary DJ