The Miami Heat Have Stayed Among the Top Ten in NBA Overall Attendance for the Last Five Years
Whether you are a basketball fan or not, making your way to FTX Arena in beautiful Biscayne Bay to watch the Miami Heat play is one of the main attractions in South Florida. The atmosphere the arena brings is welcoming to all ages. From kids who look up to Dwyane Wade, argubaly the greatest Heat player of all time, and have dreams of being an NBA player, to couples who are simply looking for the perfect date night with their significant other. You do not have to be a Miami Heat fanatic to enjoy your time, although that would be an advantage. There are thousands of avid followers of the Miami Heat who are season ticket holders. By being loyal attendants to home games, they show their passion for the Heat. Miami Heat fanatics are one of the reasons the team has remained among the top ten in NBA overall attendance for the last five years.
One valuable reason Miami Heat fanatics love home games in the FTX Arena is because of the team’s energetic broadcasters, reporters, and public announcer who always fire them up. Jason Jackson is the upbeat and jovial broadcaster for the Miami Heat. He begins each game broadcast with his famous phrase, “It’s time to ball y’all!” As he is called by Heat Nation, Jax, is responsible for courtside interviews after each game, which are conducted in the Winner’s Circle. It is when Jackson so enthusiastically recounts the game’s best moments with a Miami Heat player or two. Michael Baiamonte, the Heat’s public announcer, is recognized for his powerful player introductions, vocals, and game announcements that keep Miami Heat fans revved up during games. Baiamonte dubbed the saying, “Two Minutes, Dos Minutos!” to pay homage to the Latin population that exists in Miami. He says this phrase when there are two minutes left in each quarter. It is common for Miami Heat fanatics to jump up from their seats when Eric Reid, play-by-play announcer for the team, shouts “Kaboom!” whenever a big shot, particularly a three pointer, is made by a Heat player. Over the years, these trademark lines by those gentlemen have resonated in Heat Fans. So much so, that it is a prime reason why Miami Heat fans refer to themselves as Heat Lifers, a term coined by Udonis Haslem, another legendary Heat player. It is all about embracing the culture of the Miami Heat.
To strengthen my point on Heat Culture, overall team performance could be a contributing factor to higher attendance numbers. Miami Heat Fans are attracted to players who are hard workers, well-conditioned, professional, unselfish, and tough. The better the Miami Heat players performed, the more engaging the games were, therefore attracting more fans. For example, in the 2017–2018 season, players including Kelly Olynyk, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, and James Johnson provided fans with overwhelming waves of scoring and defensive mismatches that would wear Miami’s opponents down. The team also enjoyed a handful of young and emerging players in Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Wayne Ellington, and rookie Bam Adebayo. That was a sight to see for Miami Heat fans, validating the relationship mentioned about player performance and attendance. The Heat ranked #6 in attendance in the 2017–2018 season.
To provide another example of how player performance can positively affect Miami Heat attendance numbers, Tyler Herro, the team’s first round draft pick in the 2019 draft, brought promise for the future of the team. Averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and shooting 38.9% from 3-point range, Miami began to see the talent in this young player. Miami Heat fans were excited about his rookie season. The craze for the rookie was so alive that it became a trend for Miami Heat fans and players to make gestures with their pinky pointed by their head to represent a baby goat. Heat Fanatics would occasionally accompany the pinky gesture with the sound of a goat. From them on, Herro become known as “Baby Goat.” This could relate to the team’s increase in attendance numbers compared to the prior year.
To bring up another point, those who call themselves true Miami Heat fans know how important Dwyane Wade is to the franchise. The fact that the 2018–2019 NBA season was D-Wade’s last run, could have also increased attendance numbers for the Heat. Fans across the NBA said farewell to the Hall of Famer in his last game in each respective NBA arena, especially Miami Heat fans. D-Wade called it his Farewell Tour or his “Last Dance.” Fans were sure not to miss the three-time champ’s last season. In that year, the team’s ranking jumped up to #5.
The 2019–2020 season took an unprecedented turn for all NBA teams. The NBA season had to shut down on March 11, 2022, because two NBA players had contracted the coronavirus. On July 7, players and teams began something they had never experienced before: an NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. It was quite a journey for each team. It was no different for The Miami Heat. Despite going 3–5 in their seeding games, the team persevered, and they went 14–7 in the postseason. They were the first #5 seed to make it to the NBA finals. Even though the Heat were defeated in the Finals by The Lakers, the team displayed the mental toughness that runs deep in the legacy of the Miami Heat. The Heat’s impressive bubble performance was highlighted by Jae Crowder’s stifling defense, Goran Dragic, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro’s sharp shooting, Bam Adebayo’s competitive style of play, and Jimmy Butler’s ability to close games. Sure, they did not end up with their goal in a championship, but they displayed what Miami Heat basketball is all about. The team’s ability to make it to the NBA finals, magnificent player and team effort, and outstanding play in the bubble meant better and attractive games for the fans, causing more fan consumption.
Just as amazing team and player performance may explain why the Heat had outstanding attendance numbers, when a player or the team struggled, it could be said that their attendance numbers decreased because less people went to the games. To describe this argument, entering the season with the shortest offseason in league history, the 2020–2021 season did not go as expected for the Heat. Miami suffered many blows from players contracting COVID to injuries for Goran Dragic and other key players. They struggled in two and three-point field goal percentage and offensive rebounds, which led them to be swept out in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat were unable to reach high expectations. In other words, because the players and team were not performing well and not entertaining, there were less Miami Heat fans attracted to their games. It is fair to bring up this point when inferring why the team’s attendance numbers decreased that year, falling to #9 in the NBA.
Perhaps, player performance was a valid reason to explain the Heat’s attendance numbers. In other words, if good player performance outweighed bad player performance, the team’s attendance was likely not affected as much. The 2021–2022 season could be a perfect example of this argument. First off, Duncan Robinson struggled after the team had signed him to a 5-year, $90 million a year contract because of the impressive three-point accuracy he had shown in the previous year. However, Robinson averaged 10.9 points per game and shot 37.2% from three-point range in the regular season. In the playoffs, he put up a mere average of 5.6 points per game. One positive for the team was Tyler Herro, who averaged 20.7 points per game on 44,7% shooting and 40% from 3. His spectacular play off the bench earned Herro Sixth Man of the Year. Fans marveled at Herro’s effectiveness off the dribble, drive, and finish ability, and his improved passing. In 2022, The Heat moved back to #4 in attendance numbers.
Due to the digital age we are currently living in, NBA fans are not shy to tune in and interact on social media about their favorite teams. The Miami Heat also happen to fall into the Top 10 most popular teams on social media. They rank at number 9. At number 1 we have the Lebron James led Los Angeles Lakers, followed by Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, and the Milwaukee Bucks. Miami Heat followers are quite busy on social media. They are responsible for 4.8 million followers on Twitter, 5 million followers on Instagram, 792, 935 posts, and 800,000 tags across social media channels. By Miami Heat fanatics being so vocal, this strong representation on social media may also express why the Miami Heat have splendid attendance numbers for the past five years.
