A natural response when scanning through the roster pages of South Florida's sports teams these days is, "Who?" Miami lacks sports stars more than at any time since the city welcomed pro sports with the start of the Miami Dolphins in 1966.
Stars have always been the driver of interest in anything that happens in Miami. There is so much to do that any team that does not have some names that look good on the marquee might get lost in the shuffle.
The Dolphins Super Bowl teams of the 1970s may have had the "No-Name Defense", but they also had stars to grab attention. Dan Marino went on to become a larger-than-life personality through the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s.
A new generation of Miami sports fans went on to fall in love with basketball stars from the Miami Heat like Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Amidst two firesales, the Miami Marlins even had several exciting players take the field that inspired crowds.
There are countless other names that loom large in Miami sports lore, but now all that is left in the 305 is the Heat's aging Dwyane Wade and a lot of questions as to who fans will actually gravitate towards after he retires. There is certainly no name with the Dolphins, Marlins or Florida Panthers that gets people wanting to pull jerseys off the shelves.
Ryan Tannehill may be a serviceable quarterback for the Dolphins, but absent a true breakout year, he is never going to rally the kind of support in South Florida that truly gives him star status. Cameron Wake is also in his swan song with the franchise and there are no obvious candidates to take the long-vacant mantle of pigskin superstar in Miami.
On the Marlins front, new front lining owner Derek Jeter is a bigger name then anyone on a team he stripped of All-Stars like Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna. The Panthers hold up the rear, continuing to wallow in anonymity in their arena that abuts the Everglades in Broward County.
Sadly, the biggest names in pro sports in the city are guys like Jeter and Heat president Pat Riley who guide their team's fortunes off the field. David Beckham does not even have a team playing yet, but, at least internationally, the owner bringing the MLS to Miami is probably the biggest name that can be offered up.
Even the Miami Hurricanes Football team does not have an on-field hero to lead their resurgence. Instead, head coach Mark Richt is the most notable person with the Canes program at the current juncture.
Stars can quickly emerge, but it is not like there are any obvious prospects lingering for Miami's teams right now. There is no Marlins slugger tearing up the minor leagues, or a first-round sharpshooter that can add intrigue for the Panthers and there is no UM player that is a part of the Heisman Trophy conversation.
While stars do not always equal team success, they almost always bring relevance. That quality is something the sports scene desperately needs right now in a city that was built on glitz and glamour.
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Cover photo from Unsplash
