It’s a brand new season, but the Miami Marlins are just as desperate to sell tickets now as they were when their doors first opened in 1993.In fact, like 2013, which was just their second season at Marlins Park in downtown Miami, tickets are moving slow enough that the Marlins are back on the coupon site Groupon to offer fans special deals for opening night against the Colorado Rockies.Fans can spend — or waste, depending on your perspective — as little as $13 dollar for a ticket in the Vista Level seating area and redeem it for a complimentary ticket of equal value to a future game in April or May, excluding games on April 5 or May 2-4. There’s also a $20 ticket in the Bullpen Reserved section and a $33 ticket in the Lexus Legends seating. Again, both come with the same redeemable conditions for a future home game.It's Groupon's sports deal of the week! But it's only available until midnight on Tuesday. Well, unless it's slow moving and they offer an extension.In other words, look for an extension.
Also, as if you needed to ask, parking is not included in the deal.Hey, they have to get fans somewhere, so keep that in mind if you're not within walking distance.Of course, it's very easy to make fun of the Marlins in their perpetually battered state. Everyone does it, but as Mike Cardillo of The Big Lead points out, the sad truth is Miami only averaged 19,584 fans per game last season, or 52.3 percent capacity. The Groupon deal may cause a spike in attendance on opening day — they drew 34,439 last year — and help in a handful of other games, but it won't make a dent overall.The product is too damaged. There's no trust in owner Jeffrey Loria. And there really wasn't a lot of interest in baseball in Florida to begin with. It's not a situation where there's nowhere to go but up, it's just a bad situation that requires more than the occasional band-aid.New ownership and a complete rebranding? Now we're talking.Cardillo also did an interesting study looking at how Marlins opening day tickets compared to the other 29 teams on Stub Hub. The differences aren't as drastic across the board as you might think, but it's interesting to see how certain players and certain teams influence the prices. It's worth checking out.Mark Townsend/ Big League Stew
Also, as if you needed to ask, parking is not included in the deal.Hey, they have to get fans somewhere, so keep that in mind if you're not within walking distance.Of course, it's very easy to make fun of the Marlins in their perpetually battered state. Everyone does it, but as Mike Cardillo of The Big Lead points out, the sad truth is Miami only averaged 19,584 fans per game last season, or 52.3 percent capacity. The Groupon deal may cause a spike in attendance on opening day — they drew 34,439 last year — and help in a handful of other games, but it won't make a dent overall.The product is too damaged. There's no trust in owner Jeffrey Loria. And there really wasn't a lot of interest in baseball in Florida to begin with. It's not a situation where there's nowhere to go but up, it's just a bad situation that requires more than the occasional band-aid.New ownership and a complete rebranding? Now we're talking.Cardillo also did an interesting study looking at how Marlins opening day tickets compared to the other 29 teams on Stub Hub. The differences aren't as drastic across the board as you might think, but it's interesting to see how certain players and certain teams influence the prices. It's worth checking out.Mark Townsend/ Big League Stew
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