Soccer legend Lionel Messi begins his run today with the Miami Football Club, an expansion team in Major League Soccer (MLS). This groundbreaking deal sent shock waves throughout the international football world and has taken to another level David Beckham’s signing with the LA Galaxy at a time when it seemed unthinkable for a global soccer star to play in the MLS.
I have written previously about the increased power and influence of star athletes as a media company and production vehicle and now we are seeing it play out in the world of soccer. This power has evolved since Beckham’s playing days and Messi has taken advantage of every aspect of his capability to influence fan engagement and content creation. Messi’s signing touched off a leap in ticket and suite sales, sponsorship sales and merchandise. It also sparked an exponential increase in the value of the content created around Messi’s participation both on and off the pitch. This is reflected in the deal with Apple
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