In the United States, when something is fashionable, no one wants to miss the opportunity to be part of that phenomenon and apparently that is what is happening in the MLS after the arrival of the Argentine star, Lionel Messi. But there are other reasons that seduce celebrities to approach this league.
The world champion has filled each of the stadiums in which he has played with Inter Miami and in most of them there have always been figures from the entertainment world, in addition to other iconic sports figures from that country such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson , among others.
The Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, has gone to see Messi, as well as the actors who play Spider-Man, Toby McGuire and Tom Holland. Royalty represented by Prince Harry, and other representative names from the entertainment industry such as Selena Gómez, Will Ferell, Liam Gallagher, James Harden, King Bach, Clayton Kershaw, among others, have also been present.
All of them were able to see Messi in action before he traveled to meet with his team for the start of the Qualifiers, but beyond the showbiz and being where everyone wants, for these celebrities the MLS has become a focus of investment.
One of the pioneers was David Beckham, who finished his playing career with the LA Galaxy, but with the condition that he could participate in the MLS expansion for about US$25 million. Beckham is one of the main investors in Messi’s team and was one of those who most influenced the player’s decision to continue his career in that country.
And many stars have seen how Beckham participates financially in the league and has received very good dividends. Your investment of US$25 million is valued today at US$600 million. Beckham formally entered the MLS business, as an investor in Miami, in 2014.
This situation has led other celebrities to venture into the sports business, as did the Oscar winner, Matthew McConaughey, who is a shareholder of the Texas team Austin FC, which entered the league in 2021. The comedian took the same path Drew Carey, who is one of the owners of the Seattle Sounders FC team.
Several NBA stars are also in that vein. James Harden has a very special bond with the city of Houston and at the beginning of 2019 he joined it as a minority shareholder of the Houston Dynamo; Kevin Durant joined this list after becoming one of the shareholders of the Philadelphia Union; Steve Nash supported team owner Robert Saver in forming the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2008; while Magic Johnson, as leader of Magic Johnson Enterprises, is one of the members of the Los Angeles FC ownership group since 2016.
The MLS has 29 teams and will reach 30 in 2025, when the San Diego franchise joins. Currently, the league has a valuation close to US$2,000 million and is one of the businesses with the greatest growth projection in the short and medium term. So this time it’s not just about fashion, but also about money.
2023-09-11 16:09:25
#arrival #Messi #fashion #celebrities #United #States #invest #MLS
