Messi Surcharge: Red Bulls, Other M.L.S. Teams to Charge More for Miami Games

Messi Surcharge: Red Bulls, Other M.L.S. Teams to Charge More for Miami Games

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A
holiday deal
offered by the Red Bulls soccer team includes some merchandise, like a travel mug, as well as tickets to two games, including its first home game.
But there is some fine print. The Major League Soccer schedule will not be announced until the end of the year, and if it turns out that the home opener is against Inter Miami, fans who buy the package will get tickets for the second home game instead.
The reason is Lionel Messi.
Miami is the team of Messi, the global superstar, and a chance to see him is a lot more appealing than a random game against, say, Toronto F.C. Any time he comes to town will be an event, and teams don’t want to just throw such a golden ticket into a package deal.
Some Red Bulls fans who noticed the fine print were annoyed and
expressed
that on social media — words like “gouge” were common. But at least a few others
shrugged it off
as a smart business move. “It’s purely naïve to expect the league not to try to capitalize on this at all costs,” said Dan Rodriguez, a Red Bulls fan from Westchester County, N.Y.
The Red Bulls did not respond to a question about the ticket offer. Even if fans lose the Messi game, the deal still includes a game against the team’s regional rival, N.Y.C.F.C. And because there are 29 M.L.S. teams, the chance that the first game will actually be against Miami and Messi is slim.
Around the league, though, teams are seeing a gold mine in Messi. Not every team has set its full pricing yet, especially since the schedule has not been announced. But the Columbus Crew
is charging
at least $382 for its home game against Miami and $421 and $679 for better seats. In contrast, tickets for ordinary Crew games this year could be had for as little as $40, or less as part of a season ticket package.
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