Miami Marlins Already Show Ingratitude, Arrogance at Logo Unveiling

The one percent seemed to like the new Marlins logo.

In yet another predictably horrible PR move, the Miami Marlins unveiled their new name, logo and uniforms at a special ceremony Friday.

And never mind that the universally-despised logo looks like Maroon Five and Whattaburger had a kid and dropped acid during the pregnancy. David Samson and Jeffery Loria have never taken fan opinion into consideration, why start now?

No, much more offensive than the Will Farrell-inspired uniforms was that Friday’s unveiling was invite-only. And who was invited?
JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR LIV DOESN’T MEAN IT’LL WORK FOR BASEBALL

Well, construction magnate Bob Moss was there to personally thank Manny Diaz for that lofty contract he got to build the park. County Commissioners, in exchange for selling out their constituents, got an open bar and a free dinner in the hospitality tent. And of course many other pro athletes and music industry players were invited, so for at least one night the Marlins might look as cool as the Heat.

But you know who wasn’t invited? The people who paid for the stadium.

Now I understand, what with We Haven’t Found a Sucker to Pay for The Naming Rights Stadium being an active construction site, letting in 30,000 taxpayers might raise some liability issues. But here’s a crazy thought, Samson: 

Stage the magical unveiling in a public place. Like, I dunno, the beach. Or Bayfront Park. Or somewhere you could invite the millions of people who paid for your boondoggle to at least come and preview the product they’re getting for their taxes. Make it a big celebration of the city’s “new” team, and get the taxpayers who hate you to be on your side.

But no. Instead of trying to reach out to the masses who footed the bill, the Marlins continued to scratch the back of the crooked politicians who forced them to do so.

I’m not sure if the team is so caught up in its flashy new stadium that it’s oblivious to the fact that it’s generally seen as a greedy, arrogant and altogether contemptible organization in this city. The stadium has become an icon of greed and corruption. But the Marlins had a chance Friday to endear themselves to a fan base that holds them in only slightly higher regard than they do Fidel Castro. And instead only invited the city’s elite and capped it off with a concert from Pitbull.

TRYING TO BE AS “MIAMI” AS THEY CAN

Or maybe I’m all wrong. Maybe in renaming the team “Miami,” Samson and Loria wanted to really reflect what this city is all about. Inviting in the rich and the beautiful, while leaving the hard working people who make up the city’s backbone to haggle with the doorman behind the velvet rope.  Miami is nothing if not a place that celebrates its elite while ignoring its poor. And if that’s the name you’re going to attach to your team, well, you may as well do the same. 

Across the street from the new steel and glass baseball palace, blocks of Little Havana apartment buildings still sit in shambles. The contrast is almost comical. The County sold out the people who live there so it could build a stadium for a team that doesn’t even care about its hometown. And forces them to watch from the outside while it celebrates.

Maybe if the Marlins ever did anything to please their fans, we wouldn’t be so mad about having to pay for their stadium. And maybe if this team could make one single good PR move fans like me wouldn’t pray for the day David Samson rides his Kestrel off a cliff in Kona.  But until then, the Marlins better hope Albert Pujols decides to take his talents to South Beach. Or the only difference between the Miami Marlins and their Florida predecessors will be the color of the empty seats.