Our beloved Orange Bowl is in the process of being demolished. The Hurricanes have moved to Dolphin Stadium and the Marlins are coming back down to the site of the OB.
The new stadium, which is located in Little Havana, will rejuvenate the area. “Supporters of the baseball stadium deal cited the project’s potential to provide the community with an economic engine for urban redevelopment.” The surrounding neighborhoods are filled with baseball fans. Now that the game will be held in their own backyard, Miami-Dade fans have no reason not to go. The stadium, which is set to open in 2011, will seat 37,000, features a retractable roof, and includes 6,000-space parking garage. The stadium is part of the $2.9 billion so-called Global Agreement plan, recently approved by the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County.
It will be a win-win situation. Such a convenient location would benefit the Marlins as well of course. Even with a pretty good start this season, they can hardly manage to get decent attendance. The Miami Herald’s Greg Cote chastises Marlins “fans” for not supporting their baseball club when it is giving them all they’ve got. Only 10,462 fans went to Dolphin Stadium to watch a 4-0 victory against the Atlanta Braves that kept the Marlins atop the NL East. Did I mention they would no longer be playing on a football field?
The agreement also requires the team change its name to the Miami Marlins, and guarantees the team will stay in Miami for 35 years.
