MIAMI — As the economic downturn worsens, it seems not all businesses are created equal. Several of the more modest mom-and-pop stores and restaurants here, with fewer resources and no national networks to draw from, say they’ve been feeling more of a pinch than the ritzier shops nearby.

By BILL ANDREWS
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The show started with a bang. Literally. The percussionist snapped the audience to attention with a loud rap on the bass and snare drums.
“Wake up!” a man yelled, and “1, 7, 4, 5, 1, 7!” a woman replied. Other musicians, a violinist and flutist, joined the percussionist with [...]

Players dived and rolled to make difficult catches. Sweat dripped off their foreheads during pauses in play. But the intensity of the competition was not enough to fill even a section of the stands. Only about 60 people sat inside an arena built to hold more than 10,000 spectators.