New Miami Heat Fans: Welcome, but Where Have You Been?

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, all on the same team, wearing the same Heat uniform down in South Beach. What happened next was inevitable, the Miami Heat fan base multiplied one-hundred fold. That might be an understatement.

This article I'm about to dive into may sound selfish and arrogant, but I don't care. I know there are many who feel the same way I do. 

Let me start off by saying, as a die-hard supporter of all my favorite teams, bandwagon fans are without a doubt one of my biggest pet peeves.

Yea, yea, I know, I shouldn't complain because more fans mean more money for the organization. I know more fans and sold out Heat games means a huge boost for the South Florida economy.

But let me show it to you from my perspective.

My parents raised me a fan of the Marlins, Dolphins, and Heat, of course. I went to my first Marlins game when I was just a year old. I went to my first Heat game when I was just three years old, and my favorite players in my youth consisted of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. I never turned my back on any of my teams. 

I go to games whenever I can, sticking through the down seasons—including the Heat's all-time low 15-67 2008 season. Why? Because I love sports and adore my teams, bottom-line. 

I've been to Marlins games where I could literally count the other fans inside the stadium.  I've been to Heat playoff games where I've seen empty seats. Really, South Florida?

And then it happened, Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade in tandem pull off the single biggest free agency period that any NBA team has ever seen. I'm ecstatic, I can't believe it's real. I still find it surreal, to be honest. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are really teaming up together for my home team? Really? Oh yea, and don't forget Chris Bosh. Wow, reality check.

Then the other side of reality hit me, the harsh, cold, ever so unfortunate side of reality.  Gone are the days of taking my father to a Heat game for his birthday every year.  Gone are the days of being able to attend playoff games without spending an absurd amount on tickets and parking combined. Going to games with my buddies? Forget it.

Am I complaining? Yes.

Should I suck it up? Probably. 

But don't get me wrong, there is no one in the tri-county area of South Florida more elated than I am about the new Miami heat. I think it's great that South Florida is going to benefit very well economically off the whole situation. It's just extremely unfortunate that long time faithful fans like me will rarely be able to witness this super team in person, but it's more than a super team, it's my home team.

You may say I should've bought season tickets before, but let's face it, we all don't have that kind of money.

Enough with my rant. I can live with it, I'll have to settle for saving up my money to go to most likely one game a year. If I'm lucky.

In the end my Miami Heat are on the verge of greatness, so fellow Miami fans, let's celebrate that fact. New bandwagoners (if that's even a word), I guess you can come too.  Just know once we're back on top of the basketball world it will be much, much sweeter for the avid and faithful fans.