Lionel Messi has barely arrived in Miami when he causes a rush at the box office with tickets that can reach over $150,000.
Fans who want to see his first match, which will likely be against Mexican club Cruz Azul on Friday, will have to mortgage their homes.
Obviously, the DRV PNK Stadium is sold out, but there are resale sites for those who absolutely want to experience this unique event.
But we tell you, they will have to break their pig even if it still seems possible to make good deals.
Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP
crazy prices
By touring the different sites, we realize that the offer is abundant, but above all varied.
Thus, on StubHub, the cheapest tickets are offered at $345 while the most expensive reach $20,168. In the case of vivdseats.com, the bottom is at $343 while the ceiling is broken at $71,085 for the most expensive ticket. Finally, at SeatGeek, it starts at $485 and goes up to $95,578.
Fast forward to next Tuesday when Inter and Messi host Atlanta United FC in a Leagues Cup match.
At StubHub, the offer starts at $198 and tops out at $16,225. On the side of vivdseats.com, it starts at $193, but it goes up to $145,534 for the most expensive ticket. In SeatGeek’s case, it starts at $238, but the top price climbs to $150,363.
Moral of this story, it is better to shop for tickets on the resale market before giving out your credit card number.
And for those who want to pay less, the mayor of Miami, Republican Francis Suarez, launched a $1 draw for a pair of tickets, all in order to boost his future presidential campaign.
Impact in Miami
Financial considerations aside, the impact of Messi’s arrival in South Florida is palpable.
Already, last week, we saw him doing his grocery shopping with his little family in a Publix, a market of a chain with a strong presence in Florida. If it was a publicity stunt, it was well done by Inter Miami.
With a strong Latin American presence, the Miami region loves soccer and the arrival of La Pulga will give a strong boost to Inter, which has struggled to stand out since entering MLS in 2020.
Murals have appeared in the image of the famous Argentine striker who enjoys boundless popularity around the world, and Florida is no exception. It is not surprising that the DRV PNK was filled to capacity for the presentation of the star on Sunday evening. There were 20,000 people despite severe thunderstorms which delayed the event.
Photo credit: AFP
Renewal
From a sporting point of view, the Miami market is somewhat complex, in particular due to the fact that many people who are established there come from elsewhere.
The NFL’s Dolphins are doing well, the Panthers have had many tough years in the NHL, and a presence in the last Stanley Cup Final doesn’t guarantee things will get better and in baseball, the Marlins have lived two seasons with an average of 10,000 spectators per game just before the pandemic.
In the case of the Heat, of the NBA, it took LeBron James to arrive in South Beach in 2010 for the club to regain its attractive airs.
But there is something special that unites soccer in Miami. For many years, many Latin American and European players have bought property in the region to spend the off season there because they can enjoy relative anonymity there.
Change
We bet that will change since the mutation has already begun to take place.
Indeed, in a city where the paparazzi aren’t used to bothering stars too much, Messi has been hounded until now.
Its presence in the region is not insignificant since it is there that we find the largest Argentine community in the United States, and it is also there that the national team of Argentina plans to build a center of training of US$10M (CA$13.2M). And that, for Inter Miami, is a home run.
Because in Argentina there is Lionel Messi and Pope Francis. In this order. And until further notice, Messi is the Holy Father of North American soccer.
2023-07-17 17:59:12
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