Miami Marlins

What It Is

The Marlins entered the National League as the Florida Marlins in 1993, founded under original owner Wayne Huizenga. The team won the World Series in 1997 and again in 2003, the latter as a younger, lower-payroll roster. In 2012 the club rebranded as the Miami Marlins and moved into a new retractable-roof ballpark, now known as loanDepot Park, built on the site of the demolished Orange Bowl in Little Havana. Ownership has changed several times since the franchise's founding; current ownership and front-office details are subject to change.

Why It Matters

The stadium's location places professional baseball at the symbolic center of Cuban Miami — the Orange Bowl grounds in Little Havana — though the team's relationship with that neighborhood and its fans has been uneven. Baseball carries deep cultural weight across the Caribbean and Latin America, and the Marlins draw on a fan base and talent pipeline shaped by those connections. The franchise's two championships remain among the region's signature sports achievements, even as attendance and ownership have been recurring points of local debate.

Neighborhoods: Little Havana Landmarks: loanDepot Park People / Dynasties: Wayne Huizenga · The Huizenga Family