Miami Marlins new ownership’s sales pitch: We aren’t Jeffrey Loria
An email to potential investors from the new ownership of the Miami Marlins seems to suggest that the group’s greatest strength is not who it includes, but who isn’t a part of it.
The new ownership group of the Miami Marlins is already seeking additional investors to pad its coffers, and its argument to potential partners is framed around one fact; the group doesn’t involve the team’s former owner.
FanRag Sports acquired an email that the Marlins’ ownership sent out to potential investors earlier this month, and the email details several ways that the new owner intends to increase profitability. Put simply, there’s really nothing revolutionary or unexpected in the plan. It’s a simple increase revenue while trimming expenses plan which all businesses that operate in the red forge.
The plan acknowledges several known quantities. It has already been discussed that the previous owner failed to secure a naming rights partner for Marlins Park and that the Marlins’ existing television rights deal is among the least-lucrative in all of MLB. The plan also refers to the poor attendance, lack of community support and a weak farm system as failures by past ownership.
These are all things that the previous owner, Jeffrey Loria, sought to do to some degree. As recently as this past February, former team president under Loria David Samson spoke to the media about the search for a naming rights partner and the organization’s hopes for a new TV deal. For whatever reason or combination of reasons, that team was never able to pull off a naming rights contract or find the magic formula for improving attendance. This email places the blame for those struggles squarely on the shoulders of the previous administration.
It’s true that Loria was among the most hated professional sports owners in all of North America, whether deservedly or not. Because of that, the argument that the new ownership will be more successful in securing local sponsorships is a logical one. It’s possible that South Florida brands were hesitant to associate themselves with the Marlins because of the negative connotation Loria carried with him.
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It doesn’t look like the new ownership group of the Miami Marlins is going to do anything all that unfamiliar. Their argument for why they will be able to actually execute the exact same strategy that the previous owner attempted seems to be clear. People didn’t like the other guy, and they like us.