July 16, 200917 yr http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_07_13.pdf According to this survey the Marlins are one of baseball's least popular teams. Not too surprising, but I must say I'm a little disappointed to see this. I know attendance isn't great, but TV ratings are not bad. My guess is that the lack of any sort of consistency hurts the Marlins. Sure, the Marlins FO has found a way to be cheap and generally competitive, but I'm not sure that they'll ever be very popular as long as the roster is turns over completely every couple of years.
July 16, 200917 yr It is sorta the chicken-and-the-egg situation. The popular teams are the ones that have a national presence. We all know that the Yanks and Sox get talked up alot nationally, and the Braves were broadcast across the nation, thanks to Turner. So that gets people interested, which then makes the media focus more on those teams cause of that, and so on. Of course, winning helps. No doubt about that. But the media does play the role of kingmaker. I just wish sometimes MLB would tell the national media to focus on the "smaller" stories and buildup the small markets. Sure, that might hurt the big name teams in the short run, but perhaps it would help grow markets and help in the longterm.
July 16, 200917 yr This is not a ranking of how popular you are in your home market, it is a ranking of how popular you are among all self-described baseball fans.
July 16, 200917 yr I'm really shocked that so few people thought that the LA Angels would win the WS. Going into the season I saw a lot of people putting them as favorites to either be in the WS or to win it altogether.
July 16, 200917 yr I'm kind of surprised the Mets are only 11th. I thought they would at least crack the top 5.
July 16, 200917 yr On the bright side there are teams less popular than the Marlins, a more interesting poll would be for those fans that answer Yankees or Red Sox, is who was your teams starting catcher before Posada or Varitek? As for the Marlins one of the things that makes me a fan is that no one out there likes them and then they go and win a World Series or two and they can't say I'm a bandwagon fan. Well "they" could say it but it wouldn't be true.
July 16, 200917 yr Author I realize this isn't exactly breaking news, but I thought it was interesting. As long as the Marlins have been around, and as large as the South Florida market is, you would expect more people to identify themselves as Marlins fans. Also, the franchise has already won a couple of World Series in its short existence. Why can't we gain any popularity? That's a pretty big issue for this franchise. I think people on this board overlook the fact that the business model of the Marlins, although it produces competitive teams, does not really foster any fan loyalty. I mean, people can become Marlins fans, but it's less likely with the constant roster turnover. Just to throw out an example, how many Dolphin fans do you think are there just because of Dan Marino? The Marlins will likely never have the luxury of breeding fans that love a player and learn to love the team he plays on.
July 16, 200917 yr I don't care what polls think. I could give a about the Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs/Braves... The Marlins are popular to me and thats all that matters! Big Series starts tonight! Lets Go Fish!
July 16, 200917 yr In today's game, roster turnover is a constant challenge. Except for the mega-markets, players change a lot. Without doing the research, I'd venture to say that only 5% or so of current MLB players were on the same roster 5 years ago. That's less than 2 players per team. Get used to it & learn the Marlins model of developing talent and dealing it when the time is right.
July 16, 200917 yr Without doing the research, I'd venture to say that only 5% or so of current MLB players were on the same roster 5 years ago. Pretty good guess. For the 16 National League teams, players with at least one PA in '09 who also had at least one PA in '04 for the same team (I ignored relievers who never hit, except for Valdez, who was the Giants only guy): Marlins: Kensing (6 games this year before being DFAed.) D'backs: Tracy, Snyder, Webb. Braves: C. Jones. Cubs: Lee, Ramirez, Zambrano, Dempster. Reds: Harang. Rockies: Helton, Barmes, Hawpe, Atkins, Cook. Astros: Berkman, Oswalt, Backe. Dodgers: Weaver, Mota (traded and returned.) Brewers: Hall, Hart, Counsell. Mets: Wright, Reyes. Phillies: Howard, Utley, Rollins, Myers, Madson. Pirates: Sanchez, Wilson, Snell, Grabow, Burnett. Padres: B. Giles, Peavy. Giants: Valdez. Cards: Y. Molina, Pujols, Ankiel, Carpenter. Nats/Expos: Johnson. Total 43 guys, average 2.7 per team. Nobody has more than 5 guys, four with only one guy. As might be expected, most of them are either signed long-term or are (or were, like Kensing) still under club control. The turnover really is amazing and it obviously ain't just the Marlins. Obviously, I have too much time on my hands today.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.