On holiday, I took the opportunity to see the Miami Marlins take on the Colorado Rockies. The game took place at the newly opened Marlins Park, right in the heart of Miami. It is the 6th baseball stadium to feature a close-able roof, preventing games from being rained off, something that could have been a problem earlier in the day!
The stadium itself is impressive from the outside, and quite futuristic to look at. It has its own parking garages, which can be pre-booked, located close to the entrances, although there are plenty of businesses, and residents, offering their own spaces to arriving fans. A check on the web beforehand told us that exiting from the official car parks can be a nightmare, so we chose to risk finding alternative parking. We managed to find a great place, within a short walk of our entrance, advertised at $10; sadly, having parked up, the attendant then asked for $20!
We looked at using public transport to get from Miami Beach to the game; sadly, it's not a practicable option, something that as an English football fan, I have plenty of experience of. A 10 minute car journey would have taken an hour longer to make by bus. The concierge at our hotel informed us that a taxi would cost $20 each way. Back home, transport problems like these usually affect the new, out of town stadia. It seems strange that a stadium in a city like Miami would suffer with the same problems, but it could be more like the American love affair of driving.
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| The view from our cheap seats |
Entry into the stadium was easy, but that could be down to the fact that we were incredibly early. Our seats were located on the uppermost tier, near to the third base. Unlike football stadia, it's possible to move around the entire ground (legitimately, in any case). There is no fan segregation, although we didn't see any Rockies fans. Travelling a couple of hundred miles to watch an away game is dedication; a couple of thousand miles is amazing. Because of the layout, fans can watch the warm up from any seat, up to about 30 minutes before the start of the game, whee they are expected to make their way to their designated seats. This allows fans to get a closer view of the warm up, or to meet up with friends. The game we went to was not a sell out, and I would suspect fans might have moved to other areas during play itself, as they do at football games. This practice, whilst tolerated more at away games where fans pay the same price for tickets, at home games, it's not permitted, usually because of the difference in price structure between the different areas. This includes before the game. In some stadia, it's not physically possible to move to other areas. The matter is taken so seriously in England, that using the "wrong" toilet can lead to your ejection. Clubs will no doubt say that this is to protect the integrity of their pricing structures, and make it fair on supporters who pay a premium for match tickets, however, should it really matter during the warm up? This is just one reason, another being the need for clubs to control where football fans can congregate before, during, and after games. Allowing fans freedom inside a stadium should not pose problems, yet it seems that clubs and the authorities are too scared to give the benefit of the doubt.
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| Fans take advantage of the bar |
One other area that differs significantly is in the catering and hospitality. In terms of food, there is a variety on offer at Marlins Park, with traditional far, such as hot dogs, down to pizza, subs, nachos, and sweet treats. Variety at a typical football ground is limited to pie flavours, or if you want cheese on your burger or not. Vegetarian choice in England is even more limited. Whilst the US isn't the most veggie friendly place, there's more choice. It's even possible to have a healthy sub, if you are careful over what you eat!
The main difference is that in England, it is illegal for fans to drink alcohol where the pitch is in view. Again, this is a measure taken to control what fans can or cannot do during a match. Whilst hooliganism and alcohol are linked, this law prevents law abiding fans from enjoying a beer during the game. This law is at odds with a society that is struggling to deal with a binge drinking culture, as fans will try to consume as much booze as they can before a game, and at half time. This in turn leads to more arrests for drink related offences at games.
Fans are allowed to drink during baseball games, and whilst many fans took advantage of the sellers who walk around the seated areas selling ice cold lager, or the specially designed bar, I didn't notice fans drinking to excess. This may have been down to the fact the game was being played on a Wednesday night, however plenty of English football fans drink before and after midweek fixtures. that's not to say hooliganism doesn't exist in any form, judging from the huge sign inviting fans to report "fan misconduct".
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| Shop-A-Fan exists outside the UK |
The atmosphere at games differs hugely. There is very little chanting compared with even the less vocal football clubs I've visited in England. Most chanting and clapping is orchestrated by the Hammond organist, who periodically plays little ditties throughout the game. As good as it is to see tradition carrying on inside such a contemporary stadium, the quaintness of it did amuse this cynical, and experienced footy fan! Being told when to show support, and how is an alien concept to me. It was staged, there was no humour, and to be honest, bland. It also means that the club has control over what the fans are doing. No naughty words, no freedom of expression, and in a country that prides itself on such a principle. The absence of any banter was hugely noticeable, with no away fans to chant at.
Having the roof closed also gave the atmosphere a different feel. Miami had been having storms and torrential downpours throughout the day, and so the roof was closed ensuring the game went ahead.. Whilst I'm used to watching sport in cold conditions, an air conditioned stadium is a new experience!
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| Fancy a dip? A new meaning for corporate hospitality? |
The Marlins have clearly thought about making their stadium different. As well as the architecture, they appear to have considered those fans who choose to pay more for tickets. There are executive boxes, similar to back home. There are packages which include "all you can eat and drink", which on reflection would have been a better deal, even for someone with a small appetite like me (I would have had my fair share of beer to make up, but sadly it doesn't include alcoholic drinks). It's not aimed at the Prawn Sandwich Brigade, either. It's available in an ordinary seating area, for ordinary fans. This is one of several types of ticket offers including food and drink. There is also an area with its own pool, which would be great on days when the roof is open.
Whether us fans like it or not, football is changing. It is becoming more corporate, and owners are looking at the match day experience, no doubt looking across the Atlantic at what the Americans are doing. Football has its traditions, which should not be allowed to be slowly eradicated from the game under the banner of progress. However, there is a lot to be learned from American sports that would enhance even the most hardened fans' experiences.
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| Enjoying a pint. In view of the pitch! |
Clubs, like my own, want to attract fans to the grounds earlier; after all, they could be spending money there, instead of handing it to local pubs and food outlets. Improving the selection and the quality is a start. More offers, like the "all you can eat and drink" deal, would help. Admittedly, Leicester City has tried "Pie and a Pint" deals, but with the lack of choice with flavours, and the variable quality throughout the stadium, it doesn't seem to have been that popular. It isn't as though the club lacks the infrastructure to offer a variety of food styles, or drinks on offer. Not every fan drinks beer, or likes the beer offered, in the same way not every fan wants a greasy burger.
Another factor that stops fans from going into grounds earlier is the lack of mobility inside the ground. If clubs could be more flexible in allowing fans to mingle, certainly before the game, they would be more inclined to go straight to the ground, rather than the pub.
Selling food and drinks in the seated areas would prevent fans from moving about during games, which is an annoyance to some of the other supporters. It could mean a fan who fancies something to eat, but doesn't want to queue for ages, will buy something rather than going without. It may also ease the pressure on kiosk staff at half time, enabling them to deal with customers more efficiently.
More importantly, relaxing the laws on alcohol consumption, in my opinion, needs to be looked at. Fans in
Scotland can drink during the game, and doesn't appear to be an issue with regards to hooliganism. Drinking at other sports events does not lead to trouble. Trouble makers can be identified more easily than they could on the terraces of the 1970s and 80s. The laws are there to deal with them. Deal with the crimes when they occur, rather than treating all fans as potential criminals.
Finally, we can learn what not to do. Football clubs are stopping just short of playing music at periodical intervals during the game. Goal music is bad enough, and I'm thankful that we don't have music played over the PA system telling us when to clap and cheer. One of the things that makes the atmosphere at football matches special is the spontaneity. It can lead to amusing and witty exchanges. There's no better experience than the crowd encouraging the team from the stands when up against it. Surely that kind of support is better for the players than had it come about because a club official had "told" the fans to chant, and on top of that, what to chant? In an effort to make the game experience "inclusive", it has created an atmosphere, or lack of, that suffers for losing imagination, spontaneity, and most importantly, humour.
Football clubs in England should be mindful of creating the right balance between experience and atmosphere to retain fans, and to encourage new supporters. I found my night at the baseball more "interesting" than "enjoyable", which is a shame given how much money has been spent on creating an "experience".
Much to agree with, and much to consider, Leesoh, in your latest post. I guess many baseball fans would suggest that if you want atmosphere, you shouldn't pick a game between the Marlins and the Rockies. There's a reason the game wasn't a sell-out. Actually, there are two reasons: the Marlins and the Rockies.
ReplyDeleteJust as in the UK, there's huge variation between different sports and different cities. Last year during a visit to Houston, I took the bus across town to a Rockets game, for the equivalent of sixty pence. And that's in Texas! Fenway Park is reliably served by three subway lines, and even some out of town sports stadia have public transport links.
American sports fans are more than capable of the kind of dry wit and gallows humour we associate with the football terraces, but it's more likely to be found in the bleachers at, say, the New York Mets or the Boston Red Sox. If you want loud fans, on their feet and screaming, you probably should check in at an NBA game rather than baseball - the noise level at an average Oklahoma City Thunder game is truly astounding, with almost everyone in the crowd on their feet for long periods of the game, and the obligatory Hammond organ drowned out by chanting.
For sure, there are some odd things about watching sport in the US, and some trends which seem to be gaining ground in the UK which can be traced back to our cousins across the Atlantic. For one thing, US sports fans arrive late, and spend long periods at concession stands. It's not uncommon for the second half of basketball games to start in front of thousands of empty seats. Increasingly this is the football experience too, where fans can't last ninety minutes without buying an overpriced warm lager.
Baseball is probably more analogous to the UK cricket-watching experience than that of the football fan. Being able to walk around the ground, chatting with opposition fans (and they are common at many baseball games, if not when the round trip is 5,500 miles as with Colorado at Florida), and enjoy a beer whilst still in sight of the action sounds just like my days at Grace Road. Likewise, friends who watch rugby report similar experiences. So it's not national differences that mean we can't do these things at football stadia. Just the long-term demonisation of football fans.
I do wonder, with the NESV take-over of Liverpool FC, whether some of the US-style 'customer service' focus of sports businesses, will rub off. Businesses used to squeezing every cent from the fans won't like the idea that you can't upgrade your seat during the game, or buy a beer in your seat. And the experience of MLS, the first really successful soccer initiative in the USA, will have reverberations even in the home of the sport. Next month, Fenway Park plays host to a pre-season friendly between Liverpool and AS Roma (there's a huge Italian community in Boston), with the game already a sell-out. How will the surroundings of Fenway lend itself to a football match? I don't know, but I'm intrigued to find out.
Surely the bottom line, about all sport, is that it's more enjoyable if you care about what happens. If you'd been less of a tourist and more partisan, would the baseball game have been less interesting and more enjoyable? Do we want our football games to be interesting to neutrals, or captivating, emotional, nerve-wracking and, ultimately, the cause of elation or despair, among the faithful? The marketing men would probably point out that there are always more neutrals than fans, and so sport as an "attraction" is financially advisable. But as we both know, it's the fans who keep the club alive, paying our money through the lean times as well as the bountiful, and a sport that forgets that will lose something essential to the creation of the 'experience' itself.
This post is based on this experience alone. I've been fortunate to have visited Fenway Park, and found that whilst the atmosphere there is a lot better, this would be down to the game itself. There were more away supporters at that game, as the Red Sox is a huge draw. Consequently, our tickets were more expensive, as they know that they will sell them.
DeleteSimilarly, we noticed that there were more tourists, like ourselves, who had gone purely for the experience of seeing one of the most famous teams playing in one of the world's best known sporting venue.
It would be unfair to compare a club like Leicester City with the Red Sox. The Marlins experience was more akin to our own. Not very well fancied, a new stadium, and neither club is expected to sell out the majority of their games. The fans also seemed to moan as much as ours, too! Having said that, this was one of two defeats in the whole of May, if I remember correctly. So yes, just like our fans!!
I don't go abroad to watch sporting events. It's more a case of if there's something happening whilst I'm there, I will go along, and see what it's like.
Rugby and cricket clubs aren't trying to make wholesale changes to the marketing of their sports in the way that football is. There are numerous reasons for this; some of it is to tap into the cash cow that is the corporate hospitality side, some of it is trying to make the game more attractive to fans, and some of it, I believe, is to sanitise the experience to rid itself of the hooligan tag. We don't market sport the same way as they do in the US, but I can see that clubs here are taking steps to copy business models. I think there are elements that can be used to improve things here, however there are things about my experiences this summer, and a couple of years ago when I visited Fenway Park, that I would not want to see.
Ultimately, it's all about opinions. My idea of a good football day may not be another's.