1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Big Fish, Small Pod. I'm Andrew Rudall. 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Today is July fifteenth, and the big news around the 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Marlins today after their walk off win against the Pirates, 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: is that the Marlins are calling up Max Meyer, the 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: Minnesota Golden Gopher, to make his debut on Saturday. So 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: the Marlins have Sandy al Contra pitching at six point 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 1: forty today Friday night for those of you just getting up, 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: as the Marlins will face the Philadelphia Phillies at home 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: this weekend. So really, what I have to talk about 10 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: today has nothing to do with Max Meyer. When we're 11 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: looking at the Marlins attendance issues and that idea that 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: this is a bad market for baseball or whatever it 13 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: is people want to say, I think that all the 14 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: evidence points to the contrary. 15 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 2: That it's not the worst market. 16 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: It's actually the worst marketers for baseball. 17 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 2: So what am I looking at here? 18 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: Like I am looking at numbers checking out on Baseball Reference, 19 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty two MI Name Marlins attendance has actually 20 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: increased like sixty one percent year over year from last years, 21 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: about like seven and a half thousand per game. This 22 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: has come after a seventy seven percent increase in payroll, 23 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: which has been like a significant investment in the Marlins 24 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: team specifically like the offense. Looking at Org Solaire, Abby Garcia, 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: Jacob Stallings, you have had a Marlins team, invest in 26 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: the team, and the attendance has come forward. It's the 27 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: old like like if they build it, they will come 28 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: philosophy played out in the market of Miami and the 29 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: baseball stag him being the destination for these attendees. It's 30 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: also abstract really, like I know, it's hard to kind 31 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: of get into the headspace of these is a business 32 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: marketing to you as a fan. Then they want to 33 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: sell you that city connect Jersey. They want you to 34 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: want to buy tickets to tomorrow's game. 35 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 2: They want you. 36 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: To support your team, they want you to tell your friends. 37 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 2: They want you to like even buy from their sponsors. 38 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: Like Forbes had a really interesting article recently talking about 39 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: the current state of like the regional sports networks that 40 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: baseball is on and how that's actually some of. 41 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 2: The most desirable. 42 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: Add like airtime for brands of quite a few different industries. Certainly, 43 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: you're like, I mean, you're like gaming, your casino types 44 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: are definitely getting into baseball more and more. But I 45 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: think you all, as Marlin's fans, know what it is 46 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,519 Speaker 1: to be giving your attention to this team. There's like 47 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: an actual something you're giving. Like today, I had the 48 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: option to stay home and watch the end of the 49 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: Pirates game, and I went to the beach instead. It's 50 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: like a conscious choice, especially in a great market like Miami, 51 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: when there are amazing restaurants, beaches, nights out. 52 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 2: There's so much that you can do. 53 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: In town without without paying to park and get a 54 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: ticket and get a expensive beer sometimes except for this 55 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: weekend because of a promotion with a beer company who. 56 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 2: Also wants you to know about their brand. 57 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: Something I found fascinating looking back at the Marlins attendance 58 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: numbers over the years is that there have only been 59 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: a few times that Marlin's attendance has increased by a 60 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: significant amount year over year. Of ninety seven, two thousand 61 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: and three, two thousand and four, twenty twelve, and twenty 62 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: twenty two, this is the fifth such year in the 63 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: history of the Marlins organization, and those years are pretty 64 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: well marked by like success or investment. Like nineteen ninety seven, 65 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: you have the major success that is a World Series 66 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: win and then that was rather squandered, so we don't 67 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: see any uptick in ninety eight attendance. But back in 68 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, Marlins go to the World Series again. 69 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: The fans came for that, and they stayed in two 70 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: thousand and four, came even more that following year, despite 71 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: some is like the Pudge walking and despite not really 72 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 1: making much of an investment in the team. Certainly like 73 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: two thousand and five deserves credit with like Carlos Dogado, 74 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: but with the way Pudge and Derek Lee went a 75 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,479 Speaker 1: different way from that two thousand and three World Series 76 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: winning team, It's hard to really define those Lauria years 77 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: as investment when really you're going sideways. And then from 78 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: there you're looking at the Florida Marlins staunchly refusing to 79 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: invest in the team until Marlins Park got public funds 80 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: and that resulted in that twenty twelve investment from the Marlins. 81 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: End of twenty twelve increase in attendance for the Marlins 82 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: certainly very undercut effort. I think you could say that 83 00:05:55,720 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: Jeffrey Lauria's Marlins, well, twenty twelve Miami Marlands came from 84 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,039 Speaker 1: a place of commitment, but not quite a place of devotion, 85 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: and it hasn't been till this year that the Marlins 86 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: attendance has actually increased by a significant amount. What I 87 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: think we see there is a responsive fan base, like 88 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: a living, breathing fan base, excited about baseball, and as 89 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: much as I legitimately think that itself tells the story, 90 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: going a step further in looking at the rest of 91 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,119 Speaker 1: Major League Baseball, the Marlins are in the forty fourth 92 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: largest city in America. Forty fifth is Oakland, forty sixth 93 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: is Minneapolis. Both American League teams and both like known 94 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: for their like mid market stature, but with the distinctly 95 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: different everything so like, the Minnesota Twins have been paying 96 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: over one hundred million dollars payroll each year since twenty seventeen, 97 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,679 Speaker 1: and the Oakland A's have only had one hundred million 98 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: dollars play roll once since twenty seventeen. Both teams have 99 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: made the playoffs three times. Oakland dead last in the 100 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: American League for attendance, Minnesota in that mid tier of attendance. 101 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: Did you know they were actually second in the American 102 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: League to the New York Yankees in twenty eleven for attendance. 103 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: Like overall through the year, and as much as you 104 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: could say the Minnesota the Minnesota Twins have something of 105 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: an advantage over the Marlins, being that they're like geographically 106 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: accessible from four different compass directions. Well, the Marlins are 107 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: pretty much just at the base of Florida. There there's 108 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: still so many people in the state of Florida. It's 109 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: it's the fourth largest state. It has the third most 110 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: Major League Baseball draftees in the state. It has the 111 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: ninth largest metropolitan area, including like Fort Lauderdale and the 112 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: rest of South Florida, And by all means could be 113 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 1: if anything, I think the Marlins are in a market 114 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: where they need to prove themselves. Myself, I don't live 115 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: in South Florida. I'm in Central Florida, and today I 116 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: went to publics and they have like bags of peanuts 117 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: at publics with Major League Baseball team logos. 118 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 2: They exclusively had the Atlanta. 119 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: Braves peanuts in Central Florida. The Marlins haven't gotten that 120 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: like large swath of the country to follow them as 121 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: a team, which really does make sense with the way 122 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 1: that they have historically behaved with their roster. Like anecdotally, 123 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: I don't think I really saw baseball clearly until at 124 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: least twenty eighteen, probably from following this team too closely. 125 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: But it seems like the investment is working for the Marlins, 126 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: and it seems like investment is what works for the 127 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: mid markets. And we know investment as well works at 128 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:06,679 Speaker 1: the Los Angeles Dodgers, where they went from about one 129 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: hundred million dollar payroll in twenty eleven, took on a 130 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: twenty like a two hundred and twenty million dollar price 131 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 1: tag in a trade with the Boston Red Sox to 132 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 1: get Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Nick Punto 133 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: in twenty twelve, and that helped jump start the team 134 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: into this annual playoff contender that we know that both 135 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: has success and investment on this annual basis all signs 136 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,560 Speaker 1: here point two that sort of push and point two 137 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: a market being there if you let it have a chance. 138 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: So anyhow, that's it for me today this episode of 139 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: Big Fish, Small Pot, I've been Andrew Urdhal again. Tonight's 140 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: game starts at six forty Eastern time. Should you find 141 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: yourself near the internet, The Fish Stripes Live will be 142 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: airing an hour before first pitch check. 143 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 2: It out. Talk to you next week.