March Madness: Four Most Maddening Things in Miami Sports

The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament kicks off this week, but the Miami Hurricanes have little reason for celebration this time around. Following their impressive journey to the Final Four last season under coach Jim Larrañaga, this year concluded disappointingly with a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament on Tuesday. This capped off a tough streak of ten straight losses, leaving them with a 15-17 overall record.

Having started the season with high hopes, ranked 13th in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, the Hurricanes find themselves missing from the March Madness festivities – no dancing for them.

For better or worse, Miami’s other sports teams have more than enough unbridled drama and insanity to go around for March and beyond. Whether it’s the absence of a tried-and-true backup for Tua Tagovailoa or the perpetual “rebuild” phase of the Marlins roster, fans still have ample reason to clench their teeth and toss remote controls around their living rooms.

In recognition of the Canes missing out on March Madness this year, we’ve compiled a list of the four most maddening developments (or lack thereof) in Miami sports.

No Tua Backup Plan

Relying on Tua Tagovailoa to stay healthy is madness.

The Miami Dolphins appear to be putting all their eggs in one basket with Tagovailoa despite his history of concussions. If Tua falls victim to a major injury this season, or any prolonged absence, the Dolphins’ Super Bowl window is all but slapped shut.

Current Dolphins backup Mike White has nine career touchdowns and 13 interceptions. That hardly seems like the safety net a Super Bowl-aspiring team needs. He could come through in the clutch, but it’s a glaring uncertainty that a team of the Phins’ current caliber should have addressed by now. Having no plan but to hand the keys to White – even as a third-string option – is a reckless lapse in judgment by General Manager Chris Grier.

The recent trade of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a mere sixth-round pick raises the question: Why didn’t the Dolphins grab this opportunity for a more reliable backup? Hopefully, they have other plans than rolling into next season without proper roster insurance for Tua and his potentially soon-to-be-signed $50 million-a-year contract.

The Heat’s Regular Season Apathy

Enough with the insanity – the regular season matters – not only in record and seeding but also in fan interest.

The Miami Heat’s apparent disregard for the regular season is more than troublesome; it’s downright disrespectful and annoying, and it’s a great reason to pretend they only exist for a month a year. Someone has to say it.

Treating 82 games as mere warm-ups for the playoffs seems to be the Heat’s newest model for success, but what about team continuity and fan engagement? This strategy is causing a noticeable shift in fan interest.

Everyone is simply expecting to tune in to watch the eighth-seeded Heat pull off another miracle playoff run aided by fluky injuries to the opposing team’s best players, and Jimmy Butler turning into Michael Jordan. It’s lame. And if it doesn’t pan out this season, it should never be spoken of as a “thing” ever again.

Marlins’ Endless Rebuild

Nobody cares, Marlins. If attendance isn’t proof enough, let this make it clear: Don’t call us when you’re serious about being a Major League Baseball team. We will call you because it will be self-evident to fans when that happens. Until then, continuing to root for a team selling hot dog-quality performance out of a Gordon Ramsay-quality baseball stadium is absolute madness.

We’re already bored even mentioning the Miami Marlins, so imagine everyone’s interest in kickstarting another 162-game season. The Miami Marlins’ strategy of constantly shuffling prospects, opting for budget signings, and playing a game of musical chairs with pitchers is wearing thin. We were over it long ago.

Marlins fans are sick of rooting for the pesky underdog. Keep your mid-season hype about being surprisingly over .500. No amount of Bark at the Park or $3 bad beer promotions is making us forget what we’ve endured since our childhoods.

Miami Hurricanes Stadium Debate

Continuing to act like the Miami Hurricanes are one on-campus football stadium away from having a good atmosphere on Saturday is beyond madness. The Hurricanes currently play in the world-class Hard Rock Stadium, and the suggestion of moving to a campus stadium in Coral Gables is more than impractical – it’s stupidity.

The University of Miami has less than 20,000 students, roughly one-third that of the University of Florida, and far fewer than Florida State University. Get a grip.

If you think noon games against Valdosta State look terrible on television now, wait until you start asking people in Broward to drive down to Coral Gables, a place that may as well be Islamorada to them.

The Miami Hurricanes have a clear advantage when recruits come to town. They get to show them where World Cups, Super Bowls, and even Formula 1 races and major tennis matches are hosted. But some still wish to open a small private club stadium in a sleepy part of Miami-Dade County. Maddening.