Revisiting Miami as a basketball town

Miami, Florida: A hoops mecca or a bandwagon?

What kind of basketball city is Miami?

Last week, Henry Abbott put out a call for submissions in an effort to answer this question. We wanted to hear from locals who have been season ticket holders since the Heat's inaugural season in 1988, from transplants who carried their love affair with the Knicks and Celtics down to south Florida and from anyone who has a sound theory about what ingredients go into the making of a basketball town.

We received dozens of emails that touched on the unique collection of demographic, economic and social factors that govern the sports landscape in Miami. Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops has delved into a lot of this.

Most agreed with Christian Santiago that loyalty isn't an intrinsic value to south Floridians. But, as Santiago points out, loyalty between fan and team is complicated, nuanced stuff: 

Miami is the geographic incarnate of the new Tom Sawyer. We have no loyalty to any god, government, sport, or team. The sycophantic fickle fans of South Florida couldn't locate the word "loyalty" in the dictionary. If the citizens of this town participated in a reality TV role play of the Oregon Trail, the wagon would burn before it reached Ft. Lauderdale. As a life long member of this fine community, I can say that few of us are willing to give our allegiance to a loser. However, things may be different this time. You see this is the first time in a long time that someone builds a team with a foundation. The Heat and the Marlins are the recent teams to bring prosperity to our city, and in all three cases, (the Fish won two World Series) the teams were built to "Win Now." Within two years there was nothing left but the skeleton frame of rebuilding.

This time around, the fans will stick like leeches because there is a legitimate chance of a dynasty. Dan Le Batard said we don't deserve this team. I have to agree. But for those of us who were true fans through thick and thin, this is a better afterlife than a million virgins and rivers of wine and honey. It's like winning the lottery. People will either spite you out of envy, or pucker up in search of gold. The fans, like the invisible hand that guides society, will sell out the triple-A despite the varied purity of their motives. For better or worse, it will still benefit the team. If the Heat wins like everyone expects, the arena will erupt with passion and love. If there's one thing this town craves, it's an excuse to party, and with the South Beach Armada in sight, they will party the night away wearing D-Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James jerseys.