Between a low payroll and one of the league’s weakest rosters, it’s fair to ask how the Miami Marlins could infuriate their fans even more.
We learned the answer on Tuesday, and somehow, it shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with the Marlins.
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Miami hosted the New York Yankees for an exhibition at Marlins Park on Tuesday. Anyone who has attended professional or collegiate sports games in recent years knows teams typically show a hype video featuring their top players, official highlights, crowd shots, and more.
Then, there’s the Marlins’ hype video. Miami unveiled its pregame highlight package featuring various players, including 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara, posing with backgrounds and clips produced using artificial intelligence.
“I can’t defend this even if I wanted to,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote. “They really AI generated a hype video smh.”
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Added another: “Any team that uses AI to create content should be endlessly shamed.”
Some suggested the Marlins used AI for financial reasons. The Athletic recently reported the Marlins run the risk of an MLBPA grievance because their payroll is roughly $20 million below what the Collective Bargaining Agreement requires.
Spotrac lists the Marlins’ current payroll at $47 million. The average MLB payroll is over $158 million.
The Miami Marlins logoJasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
“Are we that poor we can’t get a proper Intro video without AI?” one user asked.
The popular @MarlinsHistory X account called using AI the “most insulting thing to do to artists, graphic designers & animators.”
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“So many great local talent to hire but Bruce Sherman & the Marlins cannot be bothered to spend,” they wrote. “The Florida Panthers have amazing graphic artists & their most simple work is better than AI [expletive].”
Related: Baseball World Slams Marlins Following Embarrassing Financial Report
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