Heat/Marlins Revised

Raunak Kedar

Mr. Simpson

English 106, E2

4 March 2013

Overshadowed

                        Off Biscayne Boulevard lays the renowned American Airlines stadium where the world champion Miami Heat play. Half an hour away on the other side of Miami rests Sunlife Stadium, the field where the 2012 division bottom feeder Miami Marlins play. Both have brought championships to the city; the Heat have brought two in the last six years, and the Marlins won a World Series a distant ten years ago. But the Miami Heat have become the cities crown jewel recently with their three all-stars: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. The Miami Heat display the importance of having a team composed with raw superstars to not only win team championships, but also as a crucial marketing tool to augment popularity and attendance. In contrast, the Miami Marlins demonstrate that lack of motivation to sign new players is analogous with losing and malign from your city.

The Miami Marlins have not ever held a LeBron James like superstar in their thirty-year history. With this deficiency and the longevity of their losing record, the Marlins have become a side-story to the Heat in local’s minds.  Sportscenter spends half of its highlight reel on LeBron’s eccentric dunks, which has built fans globally. When LeBron and D-Wade visited Beijing, it seemed like Gods had stepped into the country. The city is proud to have the Heat represent them on a global stage. The Marlins cannot produce such glitz because of their lack of stardom. The Miami Heat perfectly parallels the stereotype of Miami: glamour, swag, and excitement. The Marlins have just been the opposite. With manager Ozzie Guillen’s comment “I love Fidel Castro,” the city of Miami has begun to disown itself from the organization behind the outrage of the large Cuban community.  Heat games sell-out like quick sand, and the Marlins have to put up tarps to cover the several empty seats.  In order for the Marlins to return to the prosperity it received during the 2003 season, they must look to their fellow city team for guidance.  They must begin to sign high-profile players and win. For inspiration, the Marlins can refer to the fact that just six years ago, the Heat had a mediocre 15-67 record.  Instead of becoming despondent, the Heat built up cap-room to sign the mega-stars they have today. The Marlins have done the opposite. They recently traded their two best players: Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes. The result has been the Heat have the third best attendance in the NBA, whereas the Marlins are in the bottom half of the MLB. The Marlins and Heat are going in opposite directions: towards eternal eminence and extinction respectively. But I am sure every Miami sports fan hopes that one day the Heat will share its throne with the Marlins.