Expansion: Miami

[Gilberto9]

Beautiful stadium. I read they're planning to have 35,000 seats. The last thing you want is a beautiful stadium with 1/3 empty seats. This is a huge risk, taking into account the terrible sports scene in Florida. I hope it works out, but seating should be cut down 10-15k. Just because there is a new flashy stadium doesn't mean there will be attraction (See the Miami Marlins). Not sure if this means anything, but I've heard football songs break out at Miami Heat games, so the market is most likely there as long as there's success.


For the next market the league is interested in, why not relocate Chivas instead of expanding. St. Louis seems like the ideal location, considering the turnouts they have for club friendlies. Very large European population there as well.

[Abou Sky]

Anyone know why Miami has a poor sports scene (for its size)

Or what does or does not make a great sports scene? Books /studies?

[JuliquE]

Were I a stadium, I'd hit it.

[bluelight05]

Anyone know why Miami has a poor sports scene (for its size)

Or what does or does not make a great sports scene? Books /studies?

Miami has too many transplants. Everyone is form somewhere else and they bring their sports allegiances with them.

Lots of growing cities in the US have this problem. Plus there is a lot to do in Miami.

[Abou Sky]

Miami has too many transplants. Everyone is form somewhere else and they bring their sports allegiances with them.

Lots of growing cities in the US have this problem. Plus there is a lot to do in Miami.

I guess that is the reason Phoenix has a hard time as well. Although the best hockey game atmosphere I have been to was a Coyotes game.

[Brooker]

For the next market the league is interested in, why not relocate Chivas instead of expanding. St. Louis seems like the ideal location, considering the turnouts they have for club friendlies. Very large European population there as well.

Doesn't seem like all that many years ago St Louis was the most likely city to get in. Atleast for a year or so it seemed.

[james]

I guess that is the reason Phoenix has a hard time as well. Although the best hockey game atmosphere I have been to was a Coyotes game.

Like many cities some cities appear smaller or bigger then they really are. Phoenix isn't as big of a city as it may appear by its population numbers, you always got to look at the distance to what counts as city borders. For example:

City of Phoenix Population 1,445,632 City Area 1,338 km sq. Population density 1,080 per km

City of Philadelphia Population 1,526,006 City Are 347 km sq. Population Density 4,393 per km

City of San Francisco Population 825,111 City Land area 121 km sq. Population Density 6,800 per km

City of Seattle Population 634,535 City Land Area 217 km sq. Population Density 2,858 per km

City of Boston Population 636,479 City Land Area 232 km sq. Population Density 4,980 per km

City of Vancouver Population 603,502 City Land Area 114 km sq Population Density 5,249 per km

City of Toronto Population 2,615,060 City Land Area 630 km sq Population Density 4,149 per sq km

Phoenix in reality would be much smaller populated if they didn't take in account such massive land area. Phoenix is even over double the size of Toronto in land size. Phoenix Metro population claiming over 4 million is counting 42,000 sq km of land. Can you imagine the distance? that's insane. I'd like to see what the population of the metro is within 2,000 to 3,000 sq km. surrounding Phoenix because I believe the entire GTA is under 3,000 sq km. It would give you a better idea of what the real population might be.

[__wowza]

Beautiful stadium. BMO field even with roof looks like crap compare to Miami's SSS.

they've already stated that it's gonna be function over fashion, so when the roof goes up it's gonna be a monstrosity.
could you imagine what the stadium would've looked like if MLSE took TFC seriously from day one?

[Cashcleaner]

Anyone know why Miami has a poor sports scene (for its size)

Or what does or does not make a great sports scene? Books /studies?

I don't believe it has a bad sports scene, but rather a bad pro sports scene. University basketball, Baseball, and football are big in Florida; and I believe the University of Miami sees pretty respectable crowds for the most part. Not in the same league as UCLA, Duke, or North Carolina, though.

[Waggy]

Miami has too many transplants. Everyone is form somewhere else and they bring their sports allegiances with them. Lots of growing cities in the US have this problem. Plus there is a lot to do in Miami.

Think you hit it on the 2nd part there. The longest time I've spent in Miami was a month, and despite the fact that I LOVE sports, I only made it to 2 Marlins games and 1 Dolphins game. It's hard to justify spending your afternoon/evening sitting in oppressive humidity while it's like to absolutely pour instead of say, going golfing then hitting a nice bar/restaurant or heading down to coral gables or over to south beach or even the Lauderdale beach. Marlins games are almost free and still almost empty (my friends and I actually got in for free. There was a promo for having some bumper sticker from a gas station. We went to the box and said we heard the promo on the radio but were from out of town. One window handed us the bumper sticker, another window handed us 4 tickets). It's just not worth the time. Even the U doesn't fill Joe Robbie (or whatever it's called this week). Which is mostly because its on the other side of town from campus, but still.

[ensco]

Not so fast.

http://news.yahoo.com/shipping-allia...7--sector.html

[greatwhitenorf]

I have a hard time buying into this waterfront concept stadium. First off, only 25,000 seats, which is ideal for now but it's such a tight, ecologically-compromised location that there's little chance it can be expanded in future.

The port coalition is making a lot of good points about the economic benefits that harbour expansion will bring vis-a-vis the Panama Canal. The earlier you can get shipped goods off a boat and onto rail or road transport, the quicker it gets to market.

[Haddy]

The latest location - the boat slip - is now off the table as well.

Miami seems to be struggling to get their act together.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/1...seum-park.html

[OgtheDim]

Marlins messed up that market for any new team in any sport.

[habstfc]

Shitshow

[Cashcleaner]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-league-soccer

Well that sucks for the Miami team backers. The mayor was apparently a big supporter of the proposed stadium at the waterfront, but that site has now been pretty much ruled out. Also, the council there is adamant that no municipal funds are to go into any new stadium. Kinda sounds like Beckham is facing a battle in Florida.

[Initial B]

I wonder if Beckham's group can expropiate the two parking lots bounded by 7th and 9th Streets and 1st and 2nd Avenues. Close to transit and just down the street from the AA Arena. Not great skyline views, but it tics most of the boxes.

[OgtheDim]

From the sounds of Garber tonight in Montreal, MLS is not tied to Miami. Nor is it necessary to include Beckham in the next round of expansion.

Beckham seems tied to a city his wife would like to spend time in. Which pretty much means, NY, LA or Miami.

That, and I can't see the league parachuting him into an ownership situation in any of the other prospective cities.

[ensco]

Miami can put a team at FIU. But MLS would prefer if someone gave them a $100M stadium. Preferably on the waterfront.

[Cashcleaner]

From the sounds of Garber tonight in Montreal, MLS is not tied to Miami. Nor is it necessary to include Beckham in the next round of expansion.

Beckham seems tied to a city his wife would like to spend time in. Which pretty much means, NY, LA or Miami.

That, and I can't see the league parachuting him into an ownership situation in any of the other prospective cities.

Interesting. To be honest, it actually sounds that perhaps Garber isn't so hot on the idea of the city even getting a club to begin with, and is using the issues with the stadium site as a scapegoat of sorts.

Also, the fact that Sacramento is specifically brought up in the article is telling.

[Bantamfan]

How about Becks becoming the new owner if Chivas. That way he gets in in LA.