【中英双语】Fortune 梅西为美国足球和MLS带来巨额财富
美国财富杂志发文详细分析梅西对美国职业大联盟以及迈阿密国际带来的巨大经济效益
《Lionel Messi is bringing an absolutely enormous pile of money into American soccer and MLS》《梅西为美国足球和 MLS 带来了巨额财富》
来源：<FORTUNE>财富杂志
作者：PAOLO CONFINO
翻译：@DeMess1Cafe
The Messi effect is here and it’s starting to look massive. Apple CEO Tim Cook is thrilled with it, saying he “could not be happier with how the partnership is going,” while Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas is beaming as his club’s Instagram has grown to 14 million followers, more than any NFL, NHL or MLB team.
And if you want to catch Lionel Messi in your town, be prepared to pay upwards of $600 for a ticket—maybe double that.The exact numbers are hard to pin down because much of the data is either not publicly available, or not available yet. But it is starting to look as if Messi’s new deal with Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, for between $50 million to $60 million and including revenue sharing agreements with league sponsors Apple and Adidas, is just the tip of the iceberg. (The arrangements with Apple and Adidas are meant to reflect the full amount of money Messi brings into the league and its sponsors.)
【梅西效应】已经出现，而且影响越发显现。苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆·库克（Tim Cook）对此兴奋不已，他说：“我们的合作进展得非常顺利”。而迈阿密国际的老板豪尔赫·马斯（Jorge Mas）则喜笑颜开，因为他的俱乐部在Instagram的粉丝已增至1400 万，超过了任何一支美国职业橄榄球大联盟（NFL）、北美职业冰球联盟（NHL）或美国职业棒球大联盟（MLB）的球队。
如果您想在自己的城市观看梅西的比赛，请准备好600美元以上的门票，甚至翻倍。准确的数字很难确定，因为很多数据要么没有公开，要么尚未公布。但现在看来，梅西与美国职业足球大联盟迈阿密国际足球队签订的新合约（价值5000万至6000万美元，包括与联盟赞助商苹果公司和阿迪达斯公司签订的收入分成协议）似乎只是冰山一角。(与苹果和阿迪达斯达成的协议旨在反映梅西为联赛及其赞助商带来的全部收入）。
Apple, the broadcast partner for MLS, has a streaming platform dedicated to the league, which gained 300,000 subscribers in July, the same month Messi announced he would be joining Inter Miami, bringing its total to one million, according to Sports Business Journal. MLS Season Pass, as it’s known, costs $99 a year, suggesting that a 300,000 subscriber increase is bringing in $29.7 million. This is not a straightforward calculation, however, owing to promotions with T Mobile and LG, and MLS season ticketholders get the service for free.
MLS currently has an estimated 420,000 season ticketholders, according to World Soccer Talk, but it’s clear that a lot of money is coming in. Earlier this month, Mas said subscribers to MLS Season Pass had more than doubled since Messi joined the MLS, suggesting it’s now around 1.4 million subscribers.MLS did not provide a specific number for MLS Season Pass subscribers, saying only that they have more than doubled since Messi joined the league. It did not respond to a question regarding leaguewide season ticket holders.
Streaming is not the league’s only distribution channel, either. In a savvy move, MLS hasn’t just focused on live broadcasts but also on how it packages and distributes highlights on social media. Other sports leagues often have to limit the geographies in which people can view the highlights they post to social media, but the global nature of the MLS broadcasting deal with Apple doesn’t have the same restrictions. For example, Messi’s first goal for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul got more than 214 million social media views and around 14 million impressions, according to the analytics company Zoomph. This reach, previously unthinkable for MLS, illustrates the extent to which Messi’s presence is a boon for media partners and advertisers alike.
据《Sports Business Journal》报道，在梅西宣布加盟迈阿密国际的同一个月，苹果公司作为MLS 的转播合作伙伴，专门为联赛提供了一个流媒体平台，该平台在 7月份增加了 30万订阅用户，使其订阅用户总数达到了100万。据了解，MLS 季票的年费为 99美元，这意味着30万订阅用户的增加将带来 2,970万美元的收入。不过，这并不是一个简单的计算结果，因为T Mobile 和 LG 都有促销活动，而且 MLS 季票持有者可以免费获得该服务。
根据World Soccer Talk 的数据，MLS目前估计有 42万名季票持有者，但显然有大量资金正在流入。本月早些时候，马斯表示，自从梅西加入MLS 后，MLS 季票的用户数量增加了一倍多，目前约有140 万用户。MLS 没有提供 MLS 季票用户的具体数字，只是说自从梅西加盟后，用户数量增加了一倍多。对于有关全联盟季票持有者数量的问题，MLS 没有做出回应。
流媒体也不是联盟唯一的分销渠道。作为一项精明的举措，MLS 不仅关注现场直播，还关注如何在社交媒体上包装和发布精彩片段。其他体育联盟通常不得不限制人们在社交媒体上观看他们发布的集锦的地域范围，但MLS与苹果公司达成的全球转播协议却没有同样的限制。例如，根据分析公司Zoomph的数据，梅西在迈阿密国际对阵墨西哥蓝十字队的第一个进球在社交媒体上获得了超过2.14亿次浏览和约1400万次点赞，这种影响力在以前的MLS是无法想象的，它说明了梅西的存在对媒体合作伙伴和广告商的促进作用。
Messi’s impact extends to live viewership as well, as fans flock to stadiums around the country for the chance to see him play in person. With virtually every Inter Miami game already sold out, fans have to rely on the secondary market, notorious for upcharging buyers. Prices for tickets to Inter Miami games have risen 1,700% on the resell market, according to CNBC. Tickets for Inter Miami’s game against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday run from $425, in the corner of the upper deck, to a package of four VIP tickets going for just north of $50,000, as listed on Vivid Seats at the time of publication.A few weeks ago, as Messimania swept MLS in late July, the Chicago Fire reported gameday revenue for its home game against Inter Miami that equaled the income from all its other home games combined, according to a report from The Athletic.
In just two months since Messi has joined the league, he has generated at least $265 million in primary ticket sales, in addition to the new MLS Season Pass subscriptions mentioned above, according to Fortune’s calculations. The complete picture of his financial impact is likely much higher given that the number of jerseys sold and tickets resold on the secondary market are not yet known, if they ever will be. (Note: To calculate the estimated primary ticket sales, Fortune used an average ticket price of $487, as reported for Messi’s Inter Miami debut, assumed a sold out crowd of 19,100 for 10 home games, and 29,220 for 10 away games derived from the mean capacity of all the stadiums where Inter Miami will play before the end of the season, as listed on their respective websites.)
梅西的影响力还延伸到了现场观众，全国各地的球迷蜂拥而至，只为亲眼目睹梅西的比赛。由于迈阿密国际队的每场比赛门票几乎都已售罄，球迷们不得不依赖二级市场，而二级市场因向买家抬高票价而臭名昭著。据CNBC报道，在转售市场上，迈阿密国际的比赛的门票价格已经上涨了1700%。根据Vivid Seats网站发布的信息，本周六迈阿密国际对阵纽约红牛队的比赛门票价格从上层角落的425美元到四张VIP套票的5万美元不等。几周前，当梅西狂热在七月下旬席卷美国职业足球大联盟（MLS）时，据The Athletic报道，芝加哥火焰队主场对阵迈阿密国际队的比赛当天的收入相当于该队其他所有主场比赛收入的总和。
根据《财富》杂志的计算，在梅西加入联盟后的短短两个月内，除了上述新的MLS 季票订阅外，他还创造了至少2.65亿美元的主场门票销售收入。由于球衣销售量和球票在二级市场上的转售量尚不得而知，因此他所带来的经济效益可能要高得多。(注：为了计算预估的门票主要销售情况，《财富》杂志采用梅西在迈阿密国际首秀时的平均票价487美元来计算主要门票销售额，并假设10场主场比赛的售票人数为 19100 人，10场客场比赛的观众人数为29220人，这是根据迈阿密国际在各自网站上列出的所有球场在赛季结束前的平均座位数计算得出的。）
The huge numbers of fans filling MLS stadiums translate to more than just gate receipts. They also buy concessions, parking passes, and more than anything else merchandise. That means Messi jerseys are likely being worn by a 10-year-old in a city near you at an MLS game. Inter Miami and Adidas, the MLS’s shirt sponsor, said in July that orders for number 10 Messi jerseys are backlogged through October.
A Messi Inter Miami jersey is the most expensive on Adidas’ website, costing a staggering $180, or double the $90 that fans would have to shell out for Messi’s Argentina jersey from his World Cup-winning campaign in December. Adidas called the demand “unprecedented” and ESPN reported it was the fastest-selling jersey in the first 24 hours of release ever recorded. To put that in perspective, Argentina is one of the world’s great soccer nations, and has worn its “Albiceleste” white and sky-blue stripes for decades, while Miami’s deco-style pink has only been worn for five years, as the club backed by Mas and David Beckham has won the nickname of “The Herons.”
Messi’s contract, similar to that of his new partner Beckham, includes an equity stake in Inter Miami, according to Sportico. His share of the team could already be worth more than it was when he signed. Mas said he believed Inter Miami’s revenues would double within the first year of signing Messi. In 2022, the team had around $54 million in revenues, meaning that Mas’ projection would see the club bring in around $108 million this year. Mas also said he expects the team’s valuation to rise to as high as $1.5 billion over the same time frame. Institutional investors seem to be buying Mas’ excitement. Earlier this month, investment firm Ares Management pumped another $75 million into Inter Miami, bringing its total investments in the team to $225 million since 2021.
Simply put, Messi is box office, and right now, so is soccer in America.
大量球迷涌入美职联比赛的体育场，带来的不仅仅是门票收入。他们还购买特许经营商品、停车证以及其他商品。这意味着，在你附近的城市，梅西的球衣很可能就穿在一个10岁孩子的身上。迈阿密国米和美职联的球衣赞助商阿迪达斯在7月份表示，梅西的10号球衣的订单已经积压到了10月份。
在阿迪达斯的官网上，梅西的迈阿密国际球衣是最贵的，每件售价高达180美元，是梅西12月世界杯夺冠时阿根廷球衣售价90美元的两倍。阿迪达斯称这种需求是 "史无前例的"，ESPN报道称这是有记录以来球衣发布24小时内销售最快的一次。从这个角度来看，阿根廷是世界上最伟大的足球国家之一，几十年来一直穿着"Albiceleste "白色和天蓝色条纹球衣，而迈阿密的装饰风格粉色球衣只穿了五年，因为马斯和大卫·贝克汉姆支持的俱乐部赢得了 "苍鹭 "的绰号。
据Sportico报道，梅西的合同与他的新搭档贝克汉姆的合同类似，都包括在迈阿密国际的股份。他在球队中所占股份的价值可能已经比他签约时的更值钱了，马斯说，他相信在签约梅西的第一年内，迈阿密国际俱乐部的收入就会翻一番。2022年，球队的收入约为5400万美元，这意味着根据马斯的预测，俱乐部今年的收入将达到约1.08亿美元。马斯还表示，他预计在同一时期，球队的估值将升至 15 亿美元。机构投资者似乎也买了马斯的账。本月早些时候，投资公司Ares Management又向迈阿密国际注入了7500万美元，使其自2021年以来对该俱乐部的投资总额达到了2.25亿美元。
简而言之，梅西就是票房，而现在，美国的足球也是如此。
——转载自DeMess1Cafe博主
