Patrick Chalvire / Staff Writer
Let’s just get one thing straight: there is more to Miami than South Beach.
It is unknown if it has to do with the way the Magic City is portrayed in movies, or the fact that Miami Heat star Lebron James told the world he was taking his talents to South Beach, but since when did the entire city become a waterfront?
As much as I support and love LeBron James, he should’ve done his research before his hour-long special on where he will continue his NBA career.
The American Airlines Arena is in Downtown Miami, next to Bayside, along Biscayne Boulevard. Did he not know that South Beach was a drive away from where he will be contending for a championship?
Since the world seems to enjoy the glorification of celebrities and athletes, outsiders fail to do their due diligence and flock to the notion that what he says goes.
As appealing and enticing as it is for tourists, the reality is that there is more to Miami than sand and clear blue water.
Yes, Miami is known to have some of the most beautiful women anyone can ask for, but there’s more to it.
Unfortunately, the University has also fed into the notion of outsiders and recently became a member of Miami’s newest college Bowl game, the Miami Beach Bowl.
It’s been six years since the famed Orange Bowl was demolished and replaced by the lackluster Miami Marlins, so a need for college football in Little Havana was warranted.
The Bowl game will feature a team from the American Athletic Conference and Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference or the Sun Belt Conference. Since FIU is in the city and part of C-USA, they will be given preference, if they ever become Bowl-eligible again.
But allow me to remind those who may have forgotten: The old Orange Bowl site — and, yes, I refuse to mention the park’s real name — is not in Miami Beach.
Yet those involved in the birth of this new Bowl decided to appeal to the masses.
There are countless Bowl games, even the lesser known ones, which are named after a top sponsor or in true relevance to the area. Even the sole Bowl game FIU won was named after a small family pub chain that could only be found in 23 states. For those of you who forgot, it was the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.
A Bowl name should be because of its location or its history. If neither of that work, then name it after the highest spending sponsor. If they can allow a Bowl game to be named the GoDaddy.com Bowl, then I’m sure someone could’ve coughed up enough money to have a Bowl named after their company.
Having been born and raised in Miami, the fact that tourists strictly see Miami as South Beach is just sad. People should give insight to the diversity that is Miami — the cultures that make Miami what it is today.
If Billy Corben can direct a movie on the drugs and killings that took place in Miami during the ‘70s and ‘80s, then why can’t we all educate the rest of the country and the world on what else this town has to offer?
Yet we allow the stereotype to continue by naming a Bowl game the Miami Beach Bowl, when the closest team to South Beach is in fact, the University of Miami, who will not be playing in the Miami Beach Bowl since they are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Don’t fall trap to the city-wide public relations. Embrace the traditions and heritage that has shaped this city, then hit the beach in the winter while the rest of the country huddles around the heater waiting for the sun to come out.
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