Miami Marlins: Hometown team being sued by hometown

What’s The Problem?

What’s the source of the dispute? Money, naturally. It goes back to the original deal that made Marlins Park possible. If Jeffrey Loria sold the team, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami should have received a taste of the profits.

The problem is that, despite selling the Marlins for over $1 billion more than he originally paid, Mr. Loria says he lost money. Understandably, county and city alike are questioning this. Almost everyone questions this, be it national sports pundit or local concerned citizen. Plenty of “fuzzy math” has been offered up by Loria’s lawyers to justify their action. When “fuzzy math” is an official term of a lawsuit, you know something weird is going on.

The degree of contrast between the Miami Marlins and the local teams around them is remarkable. Mickey Arison’s Miami Heat offers the model organization, one that just got Dwyane Wade back. Stephen Ross’ Miami Dolphins at least spend money. The Miami Hurricanes football team has fans believing the “U” is back thanks to solid recruiting. Even the Florida Panthers seem committed to building around their young core.

The only thing the Miami Marlins would seem to have in common at the moment with any South Florida club is a lawsuit, thanks to Arkansas State suing the University of Miami. However, unlike the Marlins, UM would seem to have every inch of the high ground considering they’re being sued for canceling a game because of a Cat 5 hurricane.