The fans have spoken

Breaking down the results of our first fan survey

On April 17, I posted my first VIEW FROM THE BLEACHERS fan survey. I asked 18 questions to take your temperature on various issues as they relate to the state of the Marlins and your personal feelings as a fan.

Over the course of 7 days, nearly 1,500 votes were cast in this unscientific poll.

So what did you say? Let’s break it down question-by-question:

Not much of a surprise. 69% of respondents attend 5 or fewer games per season, with slightly more than 1/4 saying they do not typically attend any games.

That’s wholly consistent with the Marlins annually ranking at or near the bottom of MLB in attendance despite a new ballpark in 2012 and new ownership ahead of the 2018 season.

I’ve always wondered what happened to the 3,064,847 who attended games in the inaugural season of 1993. That’s an average of 37,838 per game, which is more than the total capacity of loanDepot park. The Marlins were averaging nearly 33,000 per game when the strike came in 1994 and drew just fewer than 24,000 per game coming out of the strike in 1995. With the exception of a bump in the 1997 championship season, a 2-year increase after winning another title in 2003 and a jump in the first season in the new ballpark, it’s been all downhill.

So what turned people off? The strike? Ownership? The inability or unwillingness to keep core players? The heat, humidity and rain at the football stadium? The location of the new ballpark? The inability to sustain any success at all on the field? All of the above?

Whatever the ultimate cause, and we’ll soon get the root of why people don’t go more often these days in our next question, the Marlins need to find a way to connect with their fan base and inspire people to attend games.

I was limited to only offering 5 options, and this is certainly one question where I would have liked to have proposed some other alternatives, particularly because 40% of respondents—a plurality—chose “other” as the reason why they don’t attend more games.

If you selected "other,” I’d be interested to hear some of those other reasons in the comments below.

It was interesting that 1/3 cite the ballpark location. Those are presumably fans from Broward and Palm Beach counties, although it must be pointed out those fans weren’t exactly packing into the more centrally-located football stadium to watch the Marlins prior to 2012.

I live in Broward. My drive to loanDepot is typically about 15 minutes longer than my drive to the football stadium. Still, I was happy to drive the extra distance, knowing there’d be no rain delay and no concern about oppressive heat and humidity.

Slightly less than 1/4 of respondents said they don’t attend more games because the team doesn’t win enough. I thought that number would be higher.

The best news for the Marlins: only 2 percent said the cost of attendance keeps them away.

Note to the club executives who read VFTB: I wouldn’t recommend taking that as a cue to raise ticket, concessions and parking prices.

I thought the response to this question was particularly interesting. 2/3 of respondents decide to attend a game primarily because their schedule permits. Who the Marlins are playing, how they’re playing and other factors are not remotely decisive.

And not a single respondent—literally ZERO—said he or she is motivated to attend a game by a desirable giveaway.

I’ve always believed, with a limited number of exceptions, giveaways are value-added. If I’m going to a game and someone hands me a T-shirt as I pass through the turnstile, great. But that T-shirt will never inspire me to attend a game I would not have otherwise.

There are occasionally giveaways that may move the needle a bit for some people. A high-quality bobblehead of a popular player is one example.

As for giveaways in general, checking the Marlins 2023 giveaway schedule likely doesn’t inspire anyone to immediately run to buy tickets. Mystery bobbleheads? Most items un-pictured? Tell me and show me what you’re using to try to encourage me to buy tickets in advance.

Last thing on give-aways: Why can’t the Marlins do what most other clubs do and give fans a replica jersey T-shirt with a little sponsor logo on the sleeve and a popular player’s name and number on the back? A T-shirt that looks just like the jersey. Why can’t they just give away a Marlins hat that looks just like what the players wear on the field with a little sponsor’s logo on it? Why does everything have to be a floral design or some outrageous pattern that few will ever wear in public?

This year, they could commemorate the club’s 30th anniversary by giving replica jersey T-shirts of different stars from different eras in team history.

If you give away a good-looking shirt or hat, people will wear it, and it promotes your product. It makes it seem like there is a buzz around the team. When I’m out and about, I see 100 people wearing Dolphins, Heat, Canes, Gators and Seminoles gear for every one person I see wearing something with a Marlins logo on it. And when I see a Marlins logo, it’s often an old logo, not the current design.

How about putting some nice-looking Marlins shirts and hats in circulation?

Their thinking is they would rather you buy the replica jersey T-shirt and the cap in the Team Store. That works for teams like the Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cardinals. That doesn’t work here.

I was happy to see this result. 2 out of 3 respondents who attend games most enjoy the game itself. Just under 1/4 are there for the ballpark atmosphere. Not a single respondent selected food and drink. Concessions can be a big part of a great ballpark experience. In my travels, the Mets, Braves, Phillies, Padres and Twins are among the teams that offer a wide array of terrific dining options. Trips to those ballparks can be true culinary adventures.

80 percent say the fan experience at loanDepot is “alright” or better. That’s encouraging. Just over one in 4 “love” the fan experience. One in 5 says it “needs a lot of work.”

Nearly a 50-50 split on the Home Run Sculpture! I think this would surprise people out of town more than it would many locals (or at least 48 percent of locals). I think those of us who live here understand and appreciate that Miami has a style all its own. The ballpark wasn’t built to evoke Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. Miami isn’t a red brick and green steel city. The since-moved Home Run Sculpture and the since-removed aquariums behind the plate wouldn’t make sense in Philadelphia or Kansas City, but they reflected Miami’s personality.

94 percent C or worse. 50 percent D or F. Not a single respondent offered an A. Only 6 percent gave a B. Ugh.

I would contend these responses shouldn’t be as bad as they are. But here’s the thing: Bruce Sherman needs a savvy PR person to help him spread his and the team’s message.

There are positive stories to be told. But in a media market like Miami, where local TV doesn’t cover the team and where you’re down to one newspaper and MLB.com reporting on the team daily, someone needs to teach Sherman and the Marlins about proactive public relations and how to supplement any coverage you receive via traditional media by telling your stories directly to the community.

I’m not talking about a feature on the Bally Sports Florida pre-game show. That’s easy and lazy for the club, and it only reaches people who already follow and support the team. This is having the smarts and the capability to take your story directly to the public. Beyond the people who already follow you on TV or social media. It takes creativity. Sometimes it may even require some financial commitment. I previously worked for 2 clubs, the Padres and Red Sox, that excelled in this regard during my time with them. I’m not going to give you all the answers here for free, Bruce. But you need someone to tell your story and that of your team.

Think back to how ready most Marlins fans were for a new owner in October of 2017. Jeffrey Loria brought you a World Series title in 2003 and preserved Major League Baseball in South Florida by getting loanDepot park built when others before him had failed. Many complain about the deal the city made with the Marlins, but that’s not the Marlins’ fault. The fact is, Loria and David Samson got a deal to keep baseball in Miami that no previous owner could.

But Marlins fans were clearly ready for a change, and Bruce Sherman should have been welcomed with open arms. Still, nearly 7 in 10 respondents say Sherman has fallen short of their expectations in 5-plus seasons as owner.

His issues began prior to officially assuming control when he and Derek Jeter ordered the dismissal of popular special assistants Jack McKeon, Jeff Conine, Andre Dawson and Tony Perez. And any chance of the honeymoon the new owner should have had evaporated when he traded newly minted NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich and signed off on the dismissal of beloved and respected TV play-by-play man Rich Waltz.

Six seasons into Bruce Sherman’s “build,” and 3 years into Kim Ng’s tenure as general manager, only 5 percent of respondents are “very optimistic” and just over one in 3 are at least “somewhat optimistic.” And remember, the 2023 Marlins had a good week on the field while this survey was being conducted, so these numbers likely saw a bit of a bump due to recency bias.

62 percent of respondents are either “not sure” about the future of the ballclub or have some degree of pessimism about the Marlins’ direction.

6 years in, that’s a concerning figure.

Again, people yearned for a new beginning for the franchise when Bruce Sherman took over. But in the last 5 years, only slightly more than one in 4 respondents has seen his or her level of enthusiasm for the club increase, according to this survey. 43% have seen their enthusiasm decrease over the last 5 years, with a whopping 75 percent no more enthusiastic for the club, or less so, today than 5 years ago.

It’s not complicated. People want to see the team win. Many (38%) would be content with mere improvement. But nearly half (44%) want to see consistent success. Overall, 82 percent of respondents say winning more would increase their enthusiasm for the club. The other stuff is just window dressing.

I must say I was a bit surprised by this result. The way he has been marketed by the club, and the way he markets himself, Jazz Chisholm has become the face of the Marlins franchise even though he’s been limited by injuries, and his degree of success on the field to this point has not come close to that of Sandy Alcantara’s.

But people chose Sandy’s track record of excellence, his unsurpassed work ethic and his team-first mentality. Newcomer Luis Arraez, who has enjoyed a torrid first month at the plate, also out-polled Jazz.

The thing I found most interesting in crafting this question is I could only come up with the names of 3 players who I was certain would get wide-spread support, and one of the 3 just joined the club. As I think back in Marlins history, and as I look around MLB today, it seems most teams have a larger core of players each of whom engenders “he’s my favorite” passion among different different.

I’m curious to hear in the comments below who those who voted “other” would have liked to have seen included.

83 percent of respondents say their favorite Marlins look is an alternate uniform. Is it possible for something to be not-at-all surprising but, simultaneously, shocking?

Everyone knows the teal pinstripe throwback uniforms are beloved. Everyone knows the City Connect uniforms have been very popular since they were introduced in 2021. I think most would also agree the Marlins’ primary look, rolled out by new ownership in 2018, has met a lukewarm response.

Still, it’s a shock to hear such a huge majority of fans say they would rather the team wear multiple alternate uniforms rather than its primary look.

In my opinion, there are certain areas where fan input must be taken into extra account. Uniforms are one of those.

Full-fledged uniform changes don’t happen overnight. There’s a process through which teams must go with MLB. There is then a production process for not just on-field gear but also for the large quantity of gear to be sold to fans. The Marlins would do well to listen to their fans and get the ball rolling on a full-time uniform change.

If they announced a full uniform change tomorrow, making the teal pinstripes their primary look at home, it would be the single most popular move this ownership has made in 6 seasons.

Have I mentioned the Marlins could use some good PR.

No surprise here. The energy in the ballpark is always at its highest when the Braves and Mets are in town. Both teams, the Mets in particular, are always well-represented by their own fans.

The fact the Braves have won the division each of the last 5 seasons and are the unquestioned standard in the NL East, along with the recent Marlins-Ronald Acuña Jr. factor, likely separates the Atlanta from the Mets here despite the Miami-New York rivalry that seems to exist to some degree across all professional sports.

J.T. Realmuto is the clear pick here. He’s the best in the sport at his position, and the catcher position is particularly challenging to fill at a high level (just ask the Marlins since they traded Realmuto to the Phillies in February of 2019). Realmuto has been healthy and productive throughout his post-Marlins career. Christian Yelich had an MVP season and an MVP runner-up campaign for the Brewers before falling on hard times in recent years. Giancarlo Stanton has remained one of the game’s pre-eminent sluggers with the Yankees although he has also dealt with injuries that have limited his playing time. Pablo Lopez was so well-liked by all during his time with the Marlins and has seemingly taken his game to a new level in his first month with the Twins. And have I mentioned you can never have enough reliable starting pitching? Marcell Ozuna has had some moments in St. Louis and Atlanta, but injuries and off-field issues have derailed his career. He is now booed during virtually every plate appearance at Truist Park, and the Braves would like nothing more than to have Ozuna and part of the remaining money on his contract taken off their hands.

I’ve said it many times. No one covers the Marlins as well or as creatively as Fish Stripes. Glad to see a plurality of respondents agrees. Kudos to Ely Sussman and his team.

The Marlins beat desperately misses the late Juan Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel, the retired Clark Spencer at the Miami Herald and the semi-retired Joe Frisaro at MLB.com. The perspective, baseball savvy and Rolodex of sources across the industry they brought to the beat after decades in the game were a great benefit to fans.

If you go back over the years, the Marlins have been blessed with some tremendous beat writers, with many going on to fame and fortune elsewhere. That list includes Gordon Edes, David O’Brien, Dan Le Batard, Mike Phillips and Mike Berardino.

Not much of a surprise here. With the Dolphins having reached the playoffs last season and the Heat and Panthers both currently in the postseason, the Marlins definitely seem to be the furthest from a title among South Florida’s Big 4 professional sports teams. That said, only the Heat has won a championship more recently than the Marlins.

The definition of “successful” is in the eye of the beholder. The Marlins have a lease to play at loanDepot park through 2047, so they’re not going anywhere.

But can they win in Miami? Can they draw in Miami? Can they generate the revenue required to build and retain a competitive major league roster in Miami?

Those are questions we can’t definitely answer in the affirmative based on 30 years of history. We can be hopeful and believe that this franchise’s best days are ahead of it, but—even after 30 seasons—it’s still belief without evidence.

Based on the conviction expressed in the responses to several questions in this survey, 6 seasons into Bruce Sherman’s ownership, in the opinion of most Marlins fans, there’s a lot of work still to be done.