No doubt there is room for two in Orlando
Some people have worried the arrival of Orlando City and its fan base is trouble for the Orlando Magic. That is plainly wrong as both can thrive.
There was euphoria in the 90th minute.
Kaka’s 90th minute free kick goal to tie the game was akin to a buzzer beater and sent a crowd of 62,000-plus at the Florida Citrus Bowl into a frenzy, sending the faithful home on an exciting note and a 1-1 tie.
As the fans exited and finally got phone service, if they were like me they got the notifications that it was hafltime at Amway Center and the Magic trailed by a manageable six points. And the trudge (or bus ride) back downtown was on.
Massive amounts of purple reached the Amway Center by the time the fourth quarter began. If they cared to know, the game was tied entering the final 12 minutes.
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More than a few surely did the double. I know of at least one person who stood outside Amway Center, watching the game from outside the Magic Grill.
When MLS announced Orlando City would have its opening game on March 8, the same night the Magic would take on the Celtics, it was pretty clear that the Magic would be taking a backseat. Even the well-drawing Celtics were not going to take away from the spectacle of this debut.
It was hard to ignore.
Downtown Orlando was painted purple the entire weekend. Sunday saw purple-clad fans everywhere lining up to take shuttles to get to the Citrus Bowl, many of them meeting at Amway Center to catch the bus. The Magic took a back seat.
Every thing Sunday had to at least recognize that the soccer game was happening. Those detracting from Orlando’s bid for a soccer team, had to admit some measure of defeat. The Magic’s FSFlorida broadcast acknowledged the game was going on at the top of their game broadcast (then followed up with a joke about the two games having the same score — the soccer game’s halftime occurred approximately at the Magic game’s tip off).
Even Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel was sure to mention the soccer game and its affect on the Magic’s attendance at the top of his article.
As he followed up on Monday, the Magic’s announced 17,041 was well below the turnstile count of 12,722 for the Magic game.
The Magic's turnstile count for its game Sunday was 12,722 -- far below the 17,041 the team announced: http://t.co/eVwNCJrhxF
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 10, 2015
Believe it or not, some nights, that feels like a pretty good turnout for the struggling Magic. Considering the city-wide event it was going up against that evening. For the rest of the Magic’s 2015 season, they will not go head-to-head with any more Orlando City home games.
The whole question this has brought up as Orlando City generates a ton of interest and excitement from its sheer newness is whether the Magic and the Lions can share this small’ish city.
Orlando is not quite the town it was when the Magic rolled into town, with much the same excitement and energy in the Orlando Arena as there was in the Citrus Bowl. It is a much more diversified town ready for a second team. It has grown up tremendously.
Still, the immediate question as the Magic played a weekend game in front of an emptier-than-usual stadium with another team stealing all the attention and headlines on the sports page, remained.
There were many Magic fans (yes, myself included) who opted to forego one of the 41 home games this season for the inaugural game. The Magic, as an organization, have been largely welcoming, but there was the joke that the Magic might be playing in an empty gym.
"“I spoke to a lot of people that said nobody was going to be here because of the soccer team,” forward Tobias Harris said (to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel). “But everybody in this locker room knows that we’ve got true fans, and we have fans that are going to support us and they love Magic basketball.”"
Clearly, there were plenty of fans that showed up for Sunday’s game. And they were treated to an entertaining game that showed off all the athleticism and potential the Magic had. Orlando erased a double-digit deficit and a 20-point deficit in the first half to score an emotional win. They got the ball moving up-and-down the floor and executed down the stretch, something the team has not always done efficiently this year.
Both the Magic and the Lions put on stellar performances and sent their fans home very happy at the end of the day.
There is a sense in this small town that the Lions are stealing attention away from the Magic or stealing fans away. There seems to some a zero-sum game with Orlando’s sports and entertainment dollar and that the city cannot support both.
Magic CEO Alex Martins, at least, does not see it this way as he told Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel:
"I believe a rising tide lifts all boats. Competition makes everyone sharper no matter what business you’re in. Orlando can be a big-time sports city, but big-time sports cities are not built on one successful franchise; they’re built on multiple successful franchises."
Indeed, Orlando is entering the stage on the big time. If it wants to be that kind of city it is going to have to have all these options available to its residents.
Martins was instrumental in getting the Amway Center, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the renovated Citrus Bowl as the Magic’s lead negotiator on the project. He helped build the very day that occurred Sunday that saw the Magic take a back seat in a town they used to own.
For sure, they are sharing that ownership now.
It may seem impossible with the buzz Orlando City generated Sunday over the Magic. That will change as time goes on and the teams learn to share the market. As each wins and loses, interest will wane and grow. Both teams will have their die hards.
And the city of Orlando will grow and be better for having both entertainment options available to the public.