More thoughts on the Marlins Stadium in response to Mayor Alvarez

Mayor Alvarez penned a Letter to the Editor in today's Herald in support of the new Marlins Stadium. You can read it here. Nice smoke bomb by Alvarez. Drops the threat of the Marlins leaving the state, name drops 2 "experts" that the average citizen has never heard of that supposedly "know the community", and then uses the buzzphrase "create jobs" to draw the listeners' minds further from seeing why this stadium is a bad idea.

I have to ask this... What is the big difference between this location and Dolphins Stadium? Ok, its closer to the heart of Miami but at the same time now the Marlins probably lose out on south Broward fans who attended games in the past. Are there more businesses to visit in the area? Not really anything viable for the baseball crowd but you can buy churros and 5lb bags of shrimp from the guys who walk thru traffic at red lights. Is it easier to access? No. You still have to get in a car and drive, maybe not as far for Miami residents, but the traffic in the area will ensure a lengthy amount of time in the car.

So what really is the benefit? So we can say we have a baseball team? Look at attendance for the past 5 years. The team won the World Series and still barely anyone cared. Last year, I dont think they filled more than 25% of the stadium though Ive no facts to support this. Just judging by what I saw on the ESPN highlights where the analysts openly mocked the lack of attendance. Did the team actually make money for the community? I doubt it. Did more than 1% of the population enjoy attending games last year? Clearly not. So would it really be bad if they left? Sure, its nice to be able to catch a baseball game on a nice day but its clear that people in Miami have other things they would rather do.

Now, about these "experts"... How do we trust their "expertise" when they are in favor of installing a baseball stadium that will benefit less than 5% of the population and totally ignoring a mass transit problem that affects 100% of the population? Last time I checked, $500M+ was a lot of money. Why cant this be spent on a rail system that better connects the urban sprawl of Miami, something this city desperately needs?

Ok, so building the stadium will create jobs. Thats a fact. But dont give me this, "construction jobs are down 15% from last year" nonsense because construction in Miami has been overinflated! Wow, we built a ton of buildings and now no one lives in them! An oversupply of construction has led to an oversupply of residences and office space. Not exactly a benefit to the community. So while this stadium project may be a steroid shot in the arm, the after effects will be similar to steroids, leaving our city with sagging muscles and a limp dick.