Ban the wave: Miami forfeits world record attempt because no one likes the Marlins
There are some thankless jobs in this world, but while preschool teachers and sanitation workers certainly deserve much more credit for the work they perform, with all due respect, they've got nothing on whoever's in charge of public relations for the Miami Marlins.
It's a rough job trying to drum up fan support for a team that seems intent on self-sabotaging itself at the slightest sign of success, but someone's gotta do it. The Marlins' lack of seriousness as an organization has alienated both Derek Jeter and Kim Ng, the first female general manager in MLB history, and after last year's surprising Wild Card run, Miami is once again one of the worst teams in baseball with a 30-55 record.
Even during rare good times, the Marlins have traditionally had great difficulty in attracting fans to loanDepot Park, and needless to say, the product on the field this year hasn't helped. Only the hapless Athletics rank below the Marlins in home attendance, which just goes to show that the only way to be less liked than the Marlins is to abandon your fans and move to Vegas.
You can't blame the Marlins for trying to think outside the box to put butts in seats, but the team's latest promotion is a classic example of not reading the room.
It's one thing to come up with a fun idea to get fans engaged. It's another thing entirely to actually have the fans to pull something like this off, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, the Marlins have since canceled the world record attempt due to "logistical and timing challenges." An argument can be made that the wave should be eradicated altogether, but this is still sad.
The Marlins' latest promotion is proof that nobody likes them
You have to feel at least a little bad, if not for the Marlins organization, then at least for the PR person who came up with this idea. This is like sending out dozens of invitations and then having nobody show up to your birthday party, but the worst part is that this was entirely predictable. There simply aren't enough Marlins fans needed for something like this, and outside of bribing people with free Cubano sandwiches or a meet and greet with Dwyane Wade, there doesn't seem to be a way to get enough Miamians off the beach and into the ballpark to ever pull this off.
Next time, the Marlins should stick with a t-shirt giveaway or a bobblehead night. Just don't make too many unless you want a lot of extras left over.