The LeBron James ripple effect

Used to be, going to a ball game was a part of the American experience. An escape from reality with peanuts, Cracker Jack, $5 hot dogs and $8 beer...it doesn't get any more American than that.

Now, thanks to Steve Ross and some high-rollers, going to a game anywhere in South Florida will soon be like a visit to South Beach.

News item- From Jose Lambiet's Page 2 Live:

Two months before the Miami Heat and its all-star trio — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — take on the National Basketball Association, scalpers report ticket prices for Heat games home and away are burning up.

A Fort Lauderdale ticket broker tells Page2Live that some courtside seats for the Heat’s Oct. 29 home-opener against the Orlando Magic are selling for $7,500-a-piece!

News item- Miami Dolphins bringing nightclub experience to Sun Life Stadium:

Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross keeps stressing the need to enhance the fan experience at Dolphins home games at a Sun Life Stadium.

On Wednesday at LIV Nightclub in the Fountainebleau hotel on Miami Beach, the team unveiled the latest incarnation of boosting the fan experience: a 10,000-square foot, two-level South Beach-style club from which fans can watch Dolphins games.

Modeled after LIV and run by its operators, the exclusive area of Sun Life Stadium is to encompass a portion of the 200 and 300 levels in the west end zone overlooking the field and including an outside veranda with stadium and couch seating.
[...]
“We’re bringing the kind of entertainment and energy inherent in South Beach nightlife – but in a way where these fans can still enjoy the game,” Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said in a statement.

(LIV, coincidentally, is the same nightclub that figures into an NCAA investigation of sports agents paying for drinks and other favors for university football players in Miami over Memorial Day weekend.)

And what about the Marlins? Well, as we learned this week, it appears that the team has borrowed some bookkeeping tricks from South Beach nightclubs!

But, a Miami New Times reader named "Jimmy" isn't buying into all the hype. "My bannana hammock is all ready for the Jets game party atmosphere. Is it aqua or is it green? I can go both ways with it," he says.