Laurence Leavy (born October 13, 1956), better known as Marlins Man, is an American sports fan and lawyer from
North Miami Beach, Florida. He gained fame in 2012 for his frequent appearances at major sporting events while wearing orange
Miami Marlins apparel. His seating placement in view of broadcast cameras has drawn attention at the
World Series,
Super Bowl,
NBA Finals,
Kentucky Derby,
College World Series, and other events.[1] Leavy has been described by USA Today as a "ubiquitous superfan".[2]
Rise to prominence
Leavy's presence was first noted while attending a
2012 NBA Playoffsbasketball game featuring the
Miami Heat, where the team distributed white T-shirts before the game. Leavy had attended a Marlins game earlier the same day, and the white T-shirt he was given at the door was stolen from his seat, causing him to be visible on television in his now trademark orange Marlins jersey and visor. Later that year, Leavy was seen sitting behind home plate at
AT&T Park during the
World Series between the
San Francisco Giants and the
Detroit Tigers.[3] The following day, a park ranger Leavy met near the
Golden Gate Bridge coined the term "Marlins Man".[4]
Leavy credits his rise to prominence to the new orange uniforms introduced by the Miami Marlins in 2012.[5][6] Previously, he dressed in the team's white jersey with teal pinstripes, which was not noticeable in the stands.[7] He increased his presence at sporting events after being diagnosed with
liver cancer in 2014, although the diagnosis was later proven incorrect.[7] In a 2017 interview, Leavy said he had attended 27
Super Bowls, 94
World Series games, 90
NBA Finals games, and "hundreds and hundreds of basketball and baseball playoffs games" to date.[6] His presence at baseball games is so ubiquitous that he is depicted in the stands in the video game MLB: The Show.[7]
In a 2014 interview, Leavy estimated that he spent an average of 300 days per year traveling to sporting events.[1] He covers his airline fares with
frequent-flyer miles and his hotel and car rental fees with credit card points.[8] However, he pays for his front-row seats at sporting events in cash.[8]
Leavy is popular with fans and is often asked to pose for
selfies.[7][6] He has tens of thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.[7][9] In addition to buying his own season tickets, he often buys season tickets for clients and friends, and orders drinks for newfound stadium friends.[9]
Leavy owns several "Marlins Man" jerseys and occasionally gives them away on behalf of charities, as when he listed his jersey, visor, and tickets from the
2014 World Series on
eBay and garnered $5,621 for the
Make-A-Wish Foundation. He has also given away jerseys on behalf of the
March of Dimes.[8]
Break with the Marlins
According to Leavy, he began attending
Miami Marlins games as a full
season ticket holder in 1993, the year the team started.[10] In March 2018 he told
ESPN that he planned to discontinue his 25-year history of purchasing season tickets due to disagreements with the club over pricing. In December 2017 he offered $200,000 for four Diamond Club seats behind home plate for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons, claiming a 10 percent discount "for the Marlins' lack of stars" following the team's trading away
Giancarlo Stanton,
Christian Yelich,
Dee Gordon, and
Marcell Ozuna, and another 10 percent discount for advance payment.[10] The Marlins countered with an offer of $263,000 for the four seats and a credit for two season-ticket seats in the outfield. Leavy rejected the offer and said he would no longer attend Marlins home games.[10]
On September 17, 2018, Leavy signed a one-day "contract" with the Marlins after posting the winning bid at a charity auction to be "player for a day".[11]
On October 21, 2014, Leavy sat behind home plate at
Kauffman Stadium for the first game of the
2014 World Series between the
Kansas City Royals and
San Francisco Giants. His bright orange jersey—visible on every pitch taken from the center-field camera—agitated the Royals team and management, and he was offered a private suite if he would move out of his seat, or free World Series mementoes if he would cover up or put on a Royals jersey. Leavy, who had paid $8,000 for the seat, refused to change his outfit or move.[13]
In October 2015, at both
MLB Wild Card games, in which the
Houston Astros defeated the
New York Yankees, and the
Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the
Chicago Cubs. He attended both series of the
ALDS in which the
Kansas City Royals defeated the Astros (attended games 1, 5 – Wore a blue Royals hat in game 5 instead of his usual orange Marlins visor) and the
Toronto Blue Jays defeated the
Texas Rangers. He also attended both series of the
NLDS, in which the Cubs defeated the
St. Louis Cardinals (attended game 3), and the
New York Mets defeated the
Los Angeles Dodgers. He was seen, again, attending the
ALCS (Games 1, 2, 6 – He wore a blue hat in the 7th inning of game 6), in which the Royals defeated the Blue Jays, and the
NLCS (Games 3, 4), in which the Mets defeated the Cubs. He attended all five games of the
World Series between the Mets and the Royals.[16] All in all, Leavy attended 148 games during the
2015 MLB season.[9]
On May 10, 2017, Leavy bought the entire second row behind home plate for a Miami Marlins home game, bringing in women whom he asked to "jump up and down and cheer" to distract the opposing team. One woman
flashedSt. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher
Brett Cecil during his windup.[19]
Between October 12 and 20, 2018, Leavy attended Games 1 through 7 of the
2018 National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. He sat behind home plate, a few seats towards the first base dugout.[20][21]
He attended the infamous “13 seconds” 2021 AFC Divisional Playoff matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Seated front row behind the Bills bench in his orange marlin gear.