Explained: Why Inter Miami may not sell out every Lionel Messi ...
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Lionel Messi is the hottest ticket in town at the moment, but not every Inter Miami game that he figures in is guaranteed to be a sell out.
WHAT HAPPENED? A mad scramble for tickets has taken place in Florida over recent weeks, with the arrival of seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi in the United States capturing the imagination of a local and global audience. A-list guests – such as Kim Kardashian, LeBron James and Serena Williams – have been flocking to DRV PNK Stadium, with entrance passes for the Argentine’s debut selling online for as much as $110,000. Inter Miami had to raise the capacity at their temporary home to 21,000 in a bid to try and meet demand, with the club using a dynamic pricing strategy that can sees prices fluctuate in a matter of minutes.
WHAT THEY SAID: Interest remains through the roof for now, but that may not always be the case. Inter Miami are, however, expected to keep ticket costs high – even if that means the odd empty seat. Ayca Kaya, an associate professor of economics at the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School, has told The Athletic of Inter Miami’s approach: “The main reason why tickets don’t sell out is probably the strategic pricing behaviour by Inter Miami. Specifically, this suggests that the soccer fans in South Florida are pretty price-insensitive and thus Inter Miami optimally keeps the prices high even though this means not selling out all the seats. South Florida, because of its demographics, is probably the area of the U.S. that has the largest proportion of soccer fans who would very highly value Messi’s star power. Such strong preferences often make the demand insensitive to price changes, as long as one can afford to purchase.”
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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Kaya added, with the MLS franchise co-owned by Manchester United legend David Beckham competing with baseball, NFL and NBA sides for support in Florida: “Income inequality in South Florida is notoriously large. The affluent segment of South Florida residents is among the richest in the nation. The low-income segment is sadly among the poorest and would be unlikely to be swayed by Messi’s presence to purchase soccer tickets, unless the prices are very low.”
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WHAT NEXT? Messi has helped to raise the profile of the game in America, with more marquee signings expected to head for the States in future transfer windows, while the 36-year-old has made a stunning impact on the field by netting five goals through his opening three appearances.
