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The home in

al sales tax break for the Dolphins in 1997, but

Introduction

state legislators turned him down.8

which the

In 1997, Huizenga complained about los-

Dolphins and

ing money on the Marlins (reportedly about

In 1997, the Florida Marlins served up an

Marlins swam

$34 million for the year). The stadium, he said,

amazing story on the baseball diamond.

was a big part of the problem: "Look at the

Having entered the league just four years earli-

was not the

teams that do have stadiums--the Braves,

er as an expansion club, the Marlins gained a

purely private

Cleveland, Baltimore, Texas--all of them have

wild-card entry into the playoffs and went on

venture it was

to became world champions. Former Marlins

a great atmosphere and they're doing well. We

owner Wayne Huizenga, of Waste Manage-

play in a football stadium. We hear that all the

said to be.

ment and Blockbuster Video fame, paid a $95

time."9 Before the 1997 season began, the team

million expansion fee for the franchise,

attempted to rally political support for a new

brought in respected manager Jim Leyland to

baseball-only stadium. By June, Huizenga put

guide his ball club, and rang up a 1997 player

the Marlins up for sale. Many speculated that

payroll of $53 million (a 77 percent increase

this was merely another ploy by Huizenga,

over the 1996 payroll of $30 million).1 The

who had put his National Hockey League

(NHL) franchise, the Panthers, up for sale in

combination worked as the Marlins beat the

late 1995, only to take it off the market after

Cleveland Indians in an exciting seven-game

politicians agreed to erect a new arena for the

World Series.

team.10

The Marlins' ballpark, Pro Player Stadium

(first named Joe Robbie Stadium, for the for-

Speculation continued to run so high

mer owner of the Miami Dolphins who built

regarding Huizenga, a new ballpark, and his

it), was erected in 1987 and is privately owned,

future ownership that on the night his team

financed with $115 million from the private

won the World Series, reporters asked as many

sector2--a rare occurrence in this era of tax-

questions about the controversy as about the

game. In fact, after winning the World Series,

payer-subsidized, often government-owned

Huizenga announced he would not sell the

sports venues. Huizenga bought both the

team if the taxpayers paid hundreds of mil-

Dolphins and the stadium in 1994 from the

lions of dollars for a new ballpark with a

Robbie family for $138 million (four years ear-

retractable roof.11

lier, after Joe Robbie's death, he had purchased

15 percent of the team and 50 percent of the

Huizenga subsequently committed anoth-

stadium).3 In 1996, he sold the stadium nam-

er, and to some more egregious, sports sin: he

disassembled his highly paid championship

ing rights to Fruit of the Loom for $20 million

team, giving them no chance to defend their

over 10 years.4 The Marlins' World Series tri-

title and turning them into little better than a

umph in 1997 seemed to be a victory for the

Triple A minor league team for the 1998 base-

free market.

ball season. The team's payroll plunged by 70

Off the field, however, the unsavory politics

percent to $16 million.12 The Marlins lost 108

of corporate welfare intruded. The home in

games in 1998--the worst performance ever

which the Dolphins and Marlins swam was

not the purely private venture it was said to be.

for a team that had won the World Series the

In reality, the original borrowing was done

previous year. They went from champs to

with Dade County industrial revenue bonds,

chumps because the owner's demands for sub-

though paid off with private dollars.5 In addi-

sidies went unheeded.

With no subsidized ballpark in sight,

tion, the county forked over almost $30 mil-

Huizenga continued his efforts to sell the

lion for road and utility improvements,6 and in

Marlins. In November 1998, he finally sold the

1991 the state granted a $60 million sales tax

rebate--at $2 million annually for 30 years--

team for $150 million to John Henry, who is

also seeking taxpayer assistance for a new facil-

so Huizenga could retrofit the facility for base-

ity.13

ball.7 He tried to get another $2 million annu-

2