Do you agree? I know I don't and I think both Rays and Marlins fans need to prove them wrong.

I disagree. A couple of reasons...First, I think both teams have been victims of bad stadium situations. The Marlins play in a football stadium and have always needed stadium with protection from the elements. Thankfully, we only have one season left at Sun Life. Most fans down here have never been to a game at a real MLB Ballpark. That really does make the experience so much better. The Rays at least have assurance their games will be played on time and in comfort, but the stadium is in the wrong part of town. As a result of these poor stadium situations, the teams have operated on shoe-string budgets, and that will certainly never endear the teams to the fans.

 

Also, both teams play in areas of the country with a lot of transplants from other places. There are just too many Mets/Yankee/Phillies/Red Sox fans living in this state. Those people aren't just going to give up being fans of their teams....it will be their children and grandchildren that grow up here that will become the fanbase. It will take a generation or two of fans growing up with these teams for them to take hold.

 

In our case though, we will soon have a final answer to this question. I personally think the stadium will go a long way toward fixing our problems. It will add the stability that the Marlins have never had. It's hard to root for a team that lives under the constant threat of potentially leaving the state. That threat is gone. The rain and heat will no longer be an issue. With the increased revenue streams, the payroll should no longer be an issue. Miami will be out of excuses not to support this team. I'm hopeful that we will.

I disagree. A couple of reasons...First, I think both teams have been victims of bad stadium situations. The Marlins play in a football stadium and have always needed stadium with protection from the elements. Thankfully, we only have one season left at Sun Life. Most fans down here have never been to a game at a real MLB Ballpark. That really does make the experience so much better. The Rays at least have assurance their games will be played on time and in comfort, but the stadium is in the wrong part of town. As a result of these poor stadium situations, the teams have operated on shoe-string budgets, and that will certainly never endear the teams to the fans.

 

Also, both teams play in areas of the country with a lot of transplants from other places. There are just too many Mets/Yankee/Phillies/Red Sox fans living in this state. Those people aren't just going to give up being fans of their teams....it will be their children and grandchildren that grow up here that will become the fanbase. It will take a generation or two of fans growing up with these teams for them to take hold.

 

In our case though, we will soon have a final answer to this question. I personally think the stadium will go a long way toward fixing our problems. It will add the stability that the Marlins have never had. It's hard to root for a team that lives under the constant threat of potentially leaving the state. That threat is gone. The rain and heat will no longer be an issue. With the increased revenue streams, the payroll should no longer be an issue. Miami will be out of excuses not to support this team. I'm hopeful that we will.

 

 

I agree with ya, you made me want to watch how the Marlins' new stadium plays out in attendance and payroll areas, it may help the Rays argument for a new stadium.

We could always stage a beatdown of a Phillies fan. That'll scare them away. Of course we'd need someone to play the Phillies fan.

We could always stage a beatdown of a Phillies fan. That'll scare them away. Of course we'd need someone to play the Phillies fan.

 

 

I know a Phillies fan....

We could always stage a beatdown of a Phillies fan. That'll scare them away. Of course we'd need someone to play the Phillies fan.

 

 

I know a Phillies fan....

I don't wanna go to jail though. We need consent before we pummel the sh*t out of someone or else it's bad

Florida will always be a holiday state. Not that it cant also be a baseball state but it is harder when so many people are there for Disney and beaches.

Florida has always been and will always be a football state. The same can be said for all states in the south, but especially Florida. You've got 3 powerhouse college football programs (Miami, UF, FSU) with USF emerging on the national stage. You've got 3 NFL teams (Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay). You've got tons of top high school recruits coming out of the state. That's why you turn on your radio in July, the height of the baseball season, and all you hear is talk about Dolphins training camp. Practice! We talkin' bout practice getting more attention than baseball! Why? Because that's what majority of people down here care about. Trust me, I grew up here. Out of all the people I've come across, there simply isn't a whole lot of interest in baseball. It's football, football, football.

Do any of you guys buy the geography argument? (Most stadiums are in the population center of a market, but because Florida is a peninsula that's not possible here because there's ocean to the East and the Everglades to the West instead of more people).

 

 

 

 

How could a state where spring training is held not be a baseball state? Maybe they just mean MLB.

Florida may or may not be a baseball state in terms of fanhood... because everyone here is transplanted... but it's definitely a players state for sure.

 

Which is why in the future it could become a fan's state if it's not right now.

Of course it's not a baseball state, you don't need to be a professional to realize that. I'm not sure any state is a baseball state anymore, maybe Missouri. But that doesn't mean teams can't thrive down here. Tropicana is just in a terrible location and if they actually moved it into Tampa they'd easily be able to draw another 5k a game at least, more when the Yank's and Sox come to town. The Marlins have shown they can draw a crowd even to craptastic Sun Life back when we actually make a serious commitments to winning. In '97 we averaged almost 30k a game and in '05 around 24k a game. We'd be in pretty damn good shape if the various ownerships didn't decide to make it a tradition and kick the fan base in the groin at least once a year.

It is a bad baseball state.

 

Whenever I meet someone from South Florida, I bring up the fact that I'm a Marlins fan. I've never gotten a positive reaction to this. They usually just mock the team's very existence. Of course, they usually express interest in the Heat or Dolphins.

 

If you try this with someone from Boston, New York, Chicago, LA, etc, it's a completely different story. Even in Baltimore, people who generally don't give a damn about baseball at least acknowledge and respect the fact that a team exists there (and they haven't had a winning season since 1997).

 

Baseball tends to thrive in cities where it's been around for a long time so it has become fused with that cities culture.

 

 

Just say 'Oh yeah, when did the Dolphins win a DAMN thing? Hm, hm, that right...97 and 03 World Series Champs, Marlins, get outta my damn way, fool. :cool

I'm not sure any state is a baseball state anymore, maybe Missouri.

 

 

New York, New England, (Eastern) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, possibly Missouri. That's about it.

Florida may or may not be a baseball state in terms of fanhood... because everyone here is transplanted... but it's definitely a players state for sure.

 

Which is why in the future it could become a fan's state if it's not right now.

 

That's a good point. I forgot about that. 80% of the people here are from New York(or so it seems). I'm one of the few who was actually born here.

 

If Florida instituted a state income tax, would that scare the New Yorkers away?:mischief

I'm not sure any state is a baseball state anymore, maybe Missouri.

 

 

New York, New England, (Eastern) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, possibly Missouri. That's about it.

 

 

Guess it depends on how one defines a baseball state, personally I see it as meaning baseball takes priority. New York is a maybe, they do love their football and their Knicks there as well, same with Massachusetts as they've got no problem dropping the Red Sox when they're losing but seem to cling onto the Pats. Pennsylvania and Illinois is football country, it's all about the Eagles and Bears. Sure they love their baseball teams as well but they're football first towns. No clue about New Jersey.

 

Missouri is really the only one I can say is a real baseball state, everywhere else it's (Aside from New York maybe) it's second or third banana.

How about Georgia? Do the Braves or Falcons take priority?

How about Georgia? Do the Braves or Falcons take priority?

 

 

Definitely Falcons lol. The Braves can't even sell out a playoff game.

Guess it depends on how one defines a baseball state, personally I see it as meaning baseball takes priority. New York is a maybe, they do love their football and their Knicks there as well, same with Massachusetts as they've got no problem dropping the Red Sox when they're losing but seem to cling onto the Pats. Pennsylvania and Illinois is football country, it's all about the Eagles and Bears. Sure they love their baseball teams as well but they're football first towns. No clue about New Jersey.

 

Missouri is really the only one I can say is a real baseball state, everywhere else it's (Aside from New York maybe) it's second or third banana.

 

 

I define a baseball state as not necessarily where baseball takes priority, but where knowledge of the game is strong. I have been to all of the places listed above, and I can tell you that New York is still the "baseball mecca" and takes priority over football, although I will acknowledge that in recent years football has increased in overall popularity and definitely has eclipsed baseball as the most popular sport in the country, but baseball is still king in New York. What you said about the Red Sox is actually the opposite of the truth. Interest in the Patriots has spiked in the last decade or so, the Tom Brady/Bill Belicheck era, before that nobody really cared too much about them. New England has always been Red Sox first and it remains that way today. New Jersey might have lost priority to football (it's questionable) but it definitely equals New York in passion and knowledge. Philadelphia is a great sports town in general and they care about all of their sports teams about equally, but they definitely love their Phillies and are very knowledgeable about baseball. I think you're wrong about Illinois. Chicago and the rest of Illinois is HUGE on the Cubs. The Bears are also big, but I think they are a slight second to the Cubs

How about Georgia? Do the Braves or Falcons take priority?

 

 

Definitely Falcons lol. The Braves can't even sell out a playoff game.

 

Fair enough. I just presumed that with the Braves winning their divison so many years in a row with playoff baseball every season that maybe it was more popular. Just a guess, having never been to Georgia.

Yeah, you would think so, but no. As with all states in the south, football is king.

It is a bad baseball state.

 

Whenever I meet someone from South Florida, I bring up the fact that I'm a Marlins fan. I've never gotten a positive reaction to this. They usually just mock the team's very existence. Of course, they usually express interest in the Heat or Dolphins.

 

If you try this with someone from Boston, New York, Chicago, LA, etc, it's a completely different story. Even in Baltimore, people who generally don't give a damn about baseball at least acknowledge and respect the fact that a team exists there (and they haven't had a winning season since 1997).

 

Baseball tends to thrive in cities where it's been around for a long time so it has become fused with that cities culture.

 

 

That is the very reason why I have hatred towards the Dolphins and their fanbase. It's always the same crap.

A friend of mine always says to me "I can't wait till the Marlins finally leave and get out of the Dolphins home". I usually remind him that the Dolphins have won jack here. The 2 World Series banners look good on the wall.

A friend of mine always says to me "I can't wait till the Marlins finally leave and get out of the Dolphins home". I usually remind him that the Dolphins have won jack here. The 2 World Series banners look good on the wall.

 

 

My favorite one is "WE LOST GAMES BECAUSE WE HAD TO PLAY WITH THE INFIELD DIRT!"

 

Yeah, but so did the other team.

A friend of mine always says to me "I can't wait till the Marlins finally leave and get out of the Dolphins home". I usually remind him that the Dolphins have won jack here. The 2 World Series banners look good on the wall.

 

 

My favorite one is "WE LOST GAMES BECAUSE WE HAD TO PLAY WITH THE INFIELD DIRT!"

 

Yeah, but so did the other team.

 

They didn't have infield dirt in 72. I think the magnitude of that element is quite overlooked. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dolphins won 100 straight games once the Marlins are gone.

A friend of mine always says to me "I can't wait till the Marlins finally leave and get out of the Dolphins home". I usually remind him that the Dolphins have won jack here. The 2 World Series banners look good on the wall.

 

 

My favorite one is "WE LOST GAMES BECAUSE WE HAD TO PLAY WITH THE INFIELD DIRT!"

 

Yeah, but so did the other team.

 

They didn't have infield dirt in 72. I think the magnitude of that element is quite overlooked. I wouldn't be surprised if the Dolphins won 100 straight games once the Marlins are gone.

Dan Marino tore his Achilles in the dirt infield in Cincinnati or Cleveland(can't remember which).