Lionel Messi after scoring against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on August 06, 2023 in Frisco, Texas.
Logan Riely | Getty Images
Superstar Lionel Messi has only played fewer than 10 games in the U.S. men’s professional soccer league and he’s having never-before-seen effects.
Messi joined Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF in late July, triggering a rise in ticket prices and the markets the team has so far visited. His signing led to record-breaking jersey and merchandise sales. TV and streaming viewership surged.
“I don’t want to say we underestimated Messi coming to the MLS, but it’s been unbelievably impactful to our league across all points,” said Camilo Durana, executive vice president of Apple partnership, properties and events.
Still, while Messi has had an unprecedented effect on MLS, which was founded in the 1990s, it hasn’t been enough to catch up to the other more prominent professional sports leagues in the U.S. like the NFL and NBA, in terms of viewership and ticket…
2023-08-25 12:02:05
Original from messi-boosts-mls-league-needs-more.html” target=”_blank” style=”color:blue” rel=”noopener”>www.cnbc.com