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The Fandom 250: What happened to the Miami Heat?

By Brandon Johnson

MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 19: a general view of the tip off to start the game between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers on November 19, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 19: a general view of the tip off to start the game between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers on November 19, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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FanSided’s Fandom 250 list has been released, with Miami Heat’s Heat Nation notably being left off.

For four years, the Miami Heat were at the center of the sports world. Miami became an international focal point after a kid from Akron made his decision to take his talents to South Beach.

But despite the laser-sight focus on LeBron James and his decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, it wasn’t discussed as a pivotal moment in Miami Heat history. Instead, it was lauded as a defining moment in sports history. Pundits and fans alike were drawn in by the end of James’ reign as the king of Cleveland, cutting short a fabled matrimony between one of the most downtrodden cities in sports and the athlete who was to rescue it from its death throes.

The combination of glitz and hostility that typified the July 8, 2010 broadcast of The Decision, is an appropriate metaphor for fandom around the Miami Heat. For every fan who is convinced that each and every season is a potential championship run for Miami, there are those less attuned to the Heat’s 30-year history, who only see Miami as a city drenched in sin. Thus, the exclusion of Heat Nation from Fansided’s year-end Fandom 250, was the result of Miami’s rich fan support being counteracted by its waning presence among larger NBA circles.

Every fandom is rife with blind, unwavering supporters and Heat Nation is no different. After Dion Waiters drilled one of the most celebrated buzzer beaters in Heat history, he instantaneously acquired “fan favorite” status, going as far as being likened to the second-coming of Wade.

The shot was enveloped by a magical 30-11 run, that just barely snuffed out the eighth seed for the Heat in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, further boosting fan support around the squad. From the starting five to the end of the bench, Heat fans couldn’t get enough of head coach Erik Spoelstra’s wizardry, transforming a seemingly miserable band of misfits into a competent gaggle of ball players.

Similar to the days of James and the “Heatles,” the media began to take notice, applauding the Heat’s resilience after being jilted in the offseason by not one, not two, but three superstars; Wade and Kevin Durant in 2016, and Gordon Hayward in the summer of 2017.

However, in comparison to the 12 NBA teams included on the Fandom 250, support for the Heat pales in comparison to some of the ravenous fans of other teams. The Memphis Grizzles and its blue-collar fandom have proudly worn their “grit and grind” badges for the better part of a decade. And what else is there to do in Oklahoma City but root for the Thunder?

Teams like the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks also rightly deserved their spots. The Celtics have a history of bloodthirsty fans in their favor, and Warriors stans can drone on about supporting the undisputed best (regular season) team of all time. Even Knicks fans deserve recognition, if only for their ardent perseverance despite not winning a title in over 40 years.

But despite the willingness for Heat fans to praise Spoelstra’s tenure, Hassan Whiteside’s evolution or Udonis Haslem’s loyalty, the Miami fandom lacks that ravenous savagery that fills the arenas of some of the leagues most iconic teams.

Miami regularly ranks among the top 10 in home attendance leaguewide, but how much of that attendance is characterized by moments as iconic as the Warriors Dance Mom or the persistent presence of Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia? Biscayne Birdman was a Heat staple for a time, but by and large, Heat fans tend to keep to themselves, lost among the miasma of South Beach’s neon painted skies.

Fandom around the Miami Heat is a fickle beast. From a history of showing up to sold out games late, to dubbing their favorite players names like Neon Dion (Waiters) and “The Man with the Golden Arm” (Wayne Ellington), Heat fans toe the line between manic supporters to apathetic game-goers. In a way, the “too cool for school” approach some Heat fans take, is the most appropriate way to support a team that considered a Miami Vice themed uniform.

Next: Slowly but surely, team is playing Miami Heat Basketball again

Missing out on the Fandom 250 list shouldn’t damper Heat Nations’ spirits too much though. The Miami Heat fandom is a complex entity, a unique mixture of stormy despair and sunny optimism, much like the city itself.

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