We’ve taken the Marlins to task for their on-field tanking and their less-than-admirable corporate citizenship in the past, but let us praise them when praising is due: they want to make the ballpark fun.
Starting in 2019 they are launching something called “Comunidad 305,” an outfield section described thusly on their website:“This dedicated area within the ballpark is where we’ll celebrate culture every game.
“No matter where you are from, you are a part of what makes Miami great. We are fusing our pride for our native countries, our city, our diversity and our team to represent every night. Musical instruments, flags and more will be welcome and encouraged.”
“305" is Miami’s area code and the whole idea of a flag-waving, musical instrument-filled cheering section takes a page out of baseball in Latin America and Asia where organized cheering and -- imagine this -- fun is greatly encouraged. I suppose there’s a soccer vibe to this as well. Whatever the case, the fact that that the Marlins are reaching out to the local community and the Latinx community in this way is good in both an absolute sense and in a business sense. And God knows that having some fun at the ballpark is a good thing too.
Credit where it’s due to the Marlins. If it’s successful, I would not be at all shocked if other teams did something similar.