Marlins Man

Laurence Leavy (born October 13, 1956), better known as Marlins Man, is an American sports fan and lawyer from North Miami Beach, Florida.

Since 1987 he has served as president of the Workers Compensation Legal Center.

He earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University, his MBA at Florida State University, and his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Miami Law School.

Leavy is the owner of Starship Stables and more than 100 Thoroughbreds.

According to Leavy, he began attending Miami Marlins games as a full season ticket holder in 1993, the year the team started.

He gained fame in 2012 for his frequent appearances at major sporting events while wearing orange Miami Marlins apparel.

His seating placement in view of broadcast cameras has drawn attention at the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Kentucky Derby, College World Series, and other events.

Leavy has been described by USA Today as a "ubiquitous superfan".

Leavy's presence was first noted while attending a 2012 NBA Playoffs basketball game featuring the Miami Heat, where the team distributed white T-shirts before the game.

Leavy had attended a Marlins game earlier the same day, and the white T-shirt he was given at the door was stolen from his seat, causing him to be visible on television in his now trademark orange Marlins jersey and visor.

Later that year, Leavy was seen sitting behind home plate at AT&T Park during the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers.

The following day, a park ranger Leavy met near the Golden Gate Bridge coined the term "Marlins Man".

Leavy credits his rise to prominence to the new orange uniforms introduced by the Miami Marlins in 2012.

Previously, he dressed in the team's white jersey with teal pinstripes, which was not noticeable in the stands.

He increased his presence at sporting events after being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014, although the diagnosis was later proven incorrect.

In a 2014 interview, Leavy estimated that he spent an average of 300 days per year traveling to sporting events.

He covers his airline fares with frequent-flyer miles and his hotel and car rental fees with credit card points.

However, he pays for his front-row seats at sporting events in cash.

Leavy is popular with fans and is often asked to pose for selfies.

He has tens of thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

In addition to buying his own season tickets, he often buys season tickets for clients and friends, and orders drinks for newfound stadium friends.

Leavy owns several "Marlins Man" jerseys and occasionally gives them away on behalf of charities, as when he listed his jersey, visor, and tickets from the 2014 World Series on eBay and garnered $5,621 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He has also given away jerseys on behalf of the March of Dimes.

In a 2017 interview, Leavy said he had attended 27 Super Bowls, 94 World Series games, 90 NBA Finals games, and "hundreds and hundreds of basketball and baseball playoffs games" to date.

His presence at baseball games is so ubiquitous that he is depicted in the stands in the video game MLB: The Show.

In December 2017 he offered $200,000 for four Diamond Club seats behind home plate for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons, claiming a 10 percent discount "for the Marlins' lack of stars" following the team's trading away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Dee Gordon, and Marcell Ozuna, and another 10 percent discount for advance payment.

The Marlins countered with an offer of $263,000 for the four seats and a credit for two season-ticket seats in the outfield.

Leavy rejected the offer and said he would no longer attend Marlins home games.

In March 2018 he told ESPN that he planned to discontinue his 25-year history of purchasing season tickets due to disagreements with the club over pricing.

On September 17, 2018, Leavy signed a one-day "contract" with the Marlins after posting the winning bid at a charity auction to be "player for a day".

Leavy has been seen at the following events:

Leavy owns a workers' compensation firm, Laurence Leavy & Associates, with offices in Davie and Jacksonville, Florida.

He works several billable hours per day from his hotel rooms while traveling, noting that only 1 percent of his cases go to trial.