Marlins Double A Affiliate Draws Larger Crowd Than Major League Team Wednesday
Numbers wise, the Marlins appear to have an attendance problem.
The team drew 6,150 fans Wednesday, while its Double A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, drew 6,960 fans for its home opener.
In Miami's three-game home series against the Mets, the team drew 19,669 fans total. All three losses were night games.
But although the numbers are low, The Sun Sentinelreports its because of the way attendance is being recorded under the new ownership group. This year, crowd counts reflect tickets actually sold, not counting giveaways or deep discounts.
Crowd counts were previously reported as tickets sold but presented a stark difference in the announced attendance and actual fans in the stands, according to the Sentinel.
The team was bought by a group led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman in September. After getting rid of stars like Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, the Marlins are in a rebuilding phase, but the group has come under scrutiny for selling such talent.
The team even lost the support of its most famous fan—Marlins Man—after being unable to come to an agreement to renew his season tickets.
The Marlins next host the Pirates on Friday.
