Marlins

By,

Kristy Dailey

Arlette Fernandez

Lindsey Hudson

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Marlins, becoming a Major League team in 1985, have experienced several ups and downs. Going through several owners and managers, along with the hiring and firing of players they are on there way to creating a stability that will hopefully improve their fan support and increase their profits. The Marlins are not just a baseball team, they are also deeply involved with the community and developed a community foundation in 1999. The foundation reaches out to children mainly helping them not only with sports but with education as well.

The goal of the Marlins is to maximize the game-day experience for their fans. The Marlins have been very successful in recruiting young new talent, but they have the lowest payroll in the league because of their lack of funds. Another problem the Marlins contend with is leasing the stadium they play in from the Dolphins. The Marlins have the opportunity to build their own stadium but are threaten with the possibility of not getting the deal and having to relocate.

Through marketing research the Marlins have to determine if building a new stadium would in fact increase their attendance rate and benefit them financially.

INTRODUCTION

The Florida Marlins Franchise began in 1985 when both the Marlins and the Rockies were expanded into the Major League Baseball Association. On July 5, 1991, they were accepted into the Major Leagues and were located in Miami, Florida. The National League awarded the franchise in 1991 to Wayne Huizenga, who is also the owner of the Miami Dolphins (NFL) and The Florida Panthers (NHL). He is also the CEO of Blockbuster Video.

The Marlins first match was held on April 5, 1993 against the Dodgers which they won 6-3. The remainder of the season was an up and down battle. The following years were pretty much the same and in 1997 with the addition of a new manager, Jim Leyland, and some new talents added to the team, it was certain that the outcome would be great. The Marlins won the wild card that season and their post season play was nothing less than extraordinary. Only into their fourth season they earned their first World Series Championship.

Thinking that things would only get better, Huizenga started stripping the team of their most valuable players and the Marlins became the first team to lose 100 games the season after a championship! The fans lost hope in the owner and the team and refused to go to games and in 1998 Huzienga sold the team to a businessman named John Henry; Leyland also resigned. Although they had a new owner the fans loyalty was deeply affected and the average fan base per game was merely 10,000 people by 2002. The team struggled for a while but trading people and putting the pieces together would pay off by 2003. Due to injuries the team struggled in the beginning but by receiving a new manager, Jack McKeon, things started to change. That season they earned another Wild Card and faced the Yankees in the World Series where they caught the title of Champions again. It is said, " They may have had up and down seasons, but when they make the post season, they have been flawless and they have been extraordinary"(www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/marlins.shtml).

MISSION STATEMENT

The Marlins are not only a baseball team, but they are also greatly involved with giving back to the community. The Marlins as a baseball team did not have a mission statement but the community foundation they established did...

"The Florida Marlins Community Foundation (FMCF) was established in January 1999. A community foundation represents the resources of a large number of donors rather than one individual or family. Revenue comes from four sources: player contributions, corporate sponsorships, grants, and events. The money raised is used to support "Cornerstones for Kids" - building a brighter future through education, the arts and baseball. Since its inception, the FMCF has given back over $4.0 million dollars to the community!

The purpose of this not-for-profit charitable organization is to promote educational, athletic, health, social and community service programs with a particular focus on South Florida's youth."

ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Maximizing the game-day experience is a primary objective of the Marlins organization as the 2007 season gets underway. They want to be able to provide an entertaining baseball experience to the fans as well as being involved in community development. Attending a baseball game is no longer just going to the stadium to enjoy the sport, but an entertaining event to fill a Saturday afternoon.

SWOT ANALYSIS

The Marlins strengths include the ability to win without having a lot of money; they have won two World Series in the past ____ years. They are also good at recruiting great young athletes and keep their cost relatively low.

The weaknesses of the Marlins are many but the main one is probably lack of money. The Marlins do not own their own stadium but instead lease it from the Miami Dolphins. This makes it harder for them to generate profit giving them no option but to keep their costs low. The Marlins also have the lowest payroll in the major league. Another weakness of the Marlins is their lack of fan support; they have the lowest attendance rate in baseball.

One of the biggest opportunities for the Marlins would be to obtain their own stadium. If they did not have to lease the stadium from the Dolphins they would be able to increase payroll and likely boost attendance and fan support.

The threats for the Marlins would have to be the possibility of not getting the new stadium deal and having to move the team to a new city. Another threat is the other professional teams in Miami, like the Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, and the University of Miami. These teams play at the same time the Marlins do, so when it comes time for the fans to chose between a Marlins game and a Dolphins game, they will choose the one that provides the greater entertainment for to their money and that would be the Dolphins because they have the resources to provide more benefits to their fans.