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SPORTS
KANSAN.COM
The man behind the jersey: Inside Marlins Man's connection to the community and Kansas City
▶ MATT HOFFMANN
@MattHoffmannUDK
lawyer by day and "Marlins Man" by night, Laurence Leavy is as close as we're going to get to a real life superhero.
Leavy said his neighbor's son goes to the University, adding that before he even got on campus he said he had players texting him asking to meet. He said those players have been Marlins Man fans for two years.
Perhaps super-fan seems more apt, considering Leavy has been to more than 90 World Series games, 70 NBA Finals games and countless — no really, countless — regular season games across all of America's favorite sports.
He was hard to miss, clad in bright orange including his customary visor and jersey. He won't change his jersey (he's been asked before), but he was supporting Kansas despite the "just-escaped-Leavenworth-Prison" look.
in fact, most recently you may have spotted Marlins Man at a few Kansas basketball games, including the Kansas-Kentucky basketball game on Jan. 30.
Big city lights, Kansas City niahts
"They've been trying since the Giants won the World Series to get me to a KU game and I finally agreed to go," Leavy said.
It's not like Kansas-Kentucky is the only high profile event Leavy has ever been to. It's not even close.
In addition to Lawrence, Marlins Man has made appearances in Chicago; Los Angeles; Oakland, Calif. and New York City just to name a few. However, when asked what his favorite sports scene was, his answer was clear.
Kansas Citv.
Leavy says that after seeing how Kansas City adopted him more than any other city, he told his staff to "get me there once a month." Earlier this month, Leavy attended another Kansas City appearance at a fundraiser for the Humane Society.
And when it comes to
sporting events, Leavy gives a strong reason for why Kansas City is his home base of sorts. He praised the class of the city, adding that he was impressed with how the people reacted to winning the World Series.
"Kansas City had hundreds of thousands of people turn up for the World Series parade. I've been to cities where there's been rioting in the streets after a win." Leavy said. "The way Royals fans handled themselves — they're true class."
But even with a favorite sports city, it's no secret Marlins Man is everywhere.
One more place Leavy has been known for showing up at is the Preakness. And this year, he had a chance to do so in style. Leavy said the race organizers offered to pay for his hotel and flight, complete with a golf cart to mosey around the finish line.
But he declined.
He said he'd rather pay his own way, leaving him free to criticize the race if he sees fit.
That's a sticking point for Leavy. He wants the world to know that the Marlins Man isn't a PR stunt and that he isn't a marketing genius trying to sell a product.
Fame, fortune and "e-court"
Before Leavy became famous for "sports," as he calls it, he says he was famous in three other areas: Personal injury law, horse racing and Florida. State (his name is on the side of Doak Campbell Stadium).
According to Leavy, this means he wasn't fazed by his sudden rise to sports fandom.
"People love it. It never went to my head," Leavy said.
So what's a day in the life of Marlins Man like and what factors enable him to be at a sporting event most days of the year? After all, he was at a major league sporting event nearly 90 percent of the time, ranging from last April through the World Series.
cial media. No, that's not right — more like the Internet."
"I figured out a way that I could work seven nights a week and be at a sporting event each night," Leavy said. "It's all because of so-
The ability to file Internet court briefings online in Florida makes Leavy's lifestyle a reality.
"I can e-file a motion and then respond to it by email, you never see the judge anymore except for trial," Leavy said. "I could be in a hotel room in New York City logged on to the Internet working for six or seven hours."
The implementation of a new "e-court" didn't mean the end of changes at the brick and mortar offices. Leavy says he's had to hire four new people to keep up with media requests and other projects surrounding his "spectator sport" fame. As a side note, perhaps it was one of those new employees that set off the smoke alarm in his building just before our interview.
Laurence Leavy does not technically represent the Marlins, but it's impossible to not associate his persona as "Marlins Man" with the ballclub. If you go to Yahoo and type in "Marlins", the first suggestion is "Marlins Spring Training," followed by "Marlins," and then "Marlins Man" further down.
However, most of his work takes place on the road.
The 'Actual' Marlins
Even though he's not a member of the team or staff, the Marlins are keenly aware of who he is.
"He's definitely got a following and it's funny to see how popular he has become, not only locally but across the country," Vice President of the Marlins Sales and Service department Ryan McCoy said.
McCoy tried to deflect attention away from Leavy being directly tied to the Marlins but it's just as obvious to see the two are directly connected.
Last year the Marlins went 71-91, finishing 17 games back of a playoff berth. Leavy, as the Marlins Man, is quite possibly bringing more attention to the Marlins than anything the team is doing on the field.
"Last year I was in San Francisco waiting for somebody outside the ballpark and I saw two young Marlins fans walk by," McCoy said, chuckling. "They were looking at their phones, and they said, 'Oh wait, Marlins Man is here we've got to find him.'"
McCoy also added that Leavy's "15 minutes of fame" have not ended in Florida, let alone the rest of the country.
"From what I understand he's quite popular in the Kansas area," McCoy said.
Game day
Finally, after completing a full workday at the hotel, Leavy heads to whatever game is on the slate that night, mingling with fans beforehand and taking pictures that will inevitably end up on his Twitter timeline later that night.
It can not be understated just how active Leavy is in the sports community. Avid Marlins Man fans will notice that he's in a different city at a different stadium or a different sport altogether every night.
Marlins Man fanatics will also notice Leavy on his phone at baseball games but not other sports, an important distinction. Leavy says that with baseball there is plenty of downtime from the batter stepping into the box, the pitcher taking the mound, waving off a signal or two and the actual pitch.
Leavy enjoys this downtime, letting him catch up on emails or tweets but
says he puts his phone away during other sports like football and basketball, two sports that are prevalent in the Lawrence area, even if the football is more Chiefs football than Kansas football.
Like any good superhero (fan), Leavy has the moral principles to boot. On Twitter, Leavy encourages people to "pay it forward" and says, "If someone is nice and sincere, I'm happy to talk to them."
And he practices what he preaches.
Before the Kansas-Kentucky game, Marlins Man spoke to a couple of schools in the Kansas City area, including Lyndon High School in Lydon, Kan., and was a celebrity bowler at a fundraiser hosted by the academic wing of the University.
Leavy is a celebrity and an Internet phenomenon, yes, but he's also a person who does what he can to give back.
"The most important thing for me right now is people paying it forward," Leavy said.
- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzynski
Marlins Man attends the game against Oklahoma State on Feb. 15 in Allen Fieldhouse.
Missu Minear/KANSAN
Two KU players chosen to represent USA Volleyball
SHANE JACKSON @jacksonshane3
On Friday, two players from Kansas volleyball were named to USA Volleyball's 12-player roster. All-American sophomore
setter Ainise Havilli and All-Big 12 sophomore outside hitter Madison Rigdon were chosen to represent the U.S. College National Team (CNT-China) in China this summer, according to a University release.
The team will be in Shanghai from June 21-23 and Nanjing from June 23-26, finishing the tour in Beijing from June 26-July 1. Havili and Rigdon are two of three players from the Big 12 conference on the
CNT-China roster.
Havili and Rigdon helped lead the Jayhawks to a 30-3 record in the 2015 season, ultimately going to the program's first ever Final Four before falling to Nebraska 3-1. Havili led the
team with 1,371 assists. Rigdon finished third on the team in kills with 311 in her sophomore campaign.
The CNT-Europe roster will be announced next week, and the CNT-GJNC roster will be released by
the end of the month. No timetable has been set for the coaching staff to be named, but it is expected to happen later this spring.
Sophomore setter Ainise Havili sets the ball. On Friday, Havili was named to USA Volleyball's 12-player roster.
Missu Minear/KANSAN
file photo/KANSAN
Sophomore outside hitter Madison Rigdon smiles. She was also named to the roster.
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