Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami is already making a major impact on Major League Soccer.

Fans in the six markets Miami is scheduled to play after Messi’s estimated debut on July 21 are wasting no time preparing for the soccer legend.

Secondary markets are unsurprisingly skyrocketing, some growing as much as tenfold since Wednesday morning, and get-in prices have reached $500 in Los Angeles, according to Elevate Marketplace.

Charlotte FC and Atlanta United already decided to open the upper levels of their stadiums to allow for full capacity instead of their usual crowds of approximately 30,000 each. Orlando City is using its home match against Inter Miami to drive season-ticket sales.

Speculation is mounting that Inter Miami could even play some home matches at the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium to accommodate more fans than its 19,000-capacity DRV Pink Stadium. 

Club co-owner David Beckham will look to capitalize on the hype. “If the existing equity owners want to create liquidity, now would seem to be a decent time to do it,” Irwin Kishner, co-chair of the sports law group at Herrick, Feinstein LLP, told Front Office sports.

League partners like Apple — which is reportedly facilitating Messi’s signing with a revenue-sharing component — will no doubt benefit from the move as well.

“Everybody was sort of scratching their heads,” Kishner said of the initial reaction to Apple’s $2.5 billion deal to broadcast MLS games. “What does Apple see?”

The league now boasts the most popular soccer player in the world. 

“It makes Apple look really smart,” said Kishner.

The Oakland A’s attempt to relocate to Las Vegas just went into extra innings.

On Wednesday, the Nevada Senate — whose regular legislative period ended Monday — held the first day of a special session called by Gov. Joe Lombardo to consider a bill that would provide $380 million in funding toward a new ballpark.

The senate — which requires a simple majority to pass a bill on to the state Assembly — appears split.  

Some senators were excited by the economic opportunities an MLB team could bring, while others were dismayed that they were being asked to subsidize this project while issues such as education and mental health were put on the back burner.

The economic risks to the state and Clark County were a contentious issue throughout the hearing. During one tense exchange, A’s president Dave Kaval repeatedly dodged a question from Sen. Fabian Doñate on whether the team would commit to paying the state’s live entertainment tax.

The bill was identical to one introduced in the regular session, but lawmakers reportedly viewed proposed amendments to the legislation for the first time on Thursday. The senate convened briefly on Thursday before adjourning until Monday.

Wednesday was also the second time that legislators heard comments from the public. Steve Pastorino, the A’s director of corporate partnerships from 2014 to 2017 and a Nevada resident, spoke against the project, warning the legislature, “Don’t trust Dave Kaval.”

Brandon Johnson knows he has an uphill fight in keeping the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. 

But the city’s new mayor still believes there’s a way to keep the NFL team from moving to the suburbs.

Johnson, who succeeded Lori Lightfoot last month and met with Bears executives earlier this week, sees a new opening now that the team’s seemingly inevitable move to Arlington Heights is “at risk” amid a tax dispute and separate talks with neighboring Naperville.

“We want to make sure we keep shuffling here in the city of Chicago with the Bears,” Johnson said. “I want to make sure the ownership of the Bears, the Park District, and the residents of the city of Chicago have a real seat at the table to discuss a pathway forward.”

That message appears to have landed, as Johnson and Bears president Kevin Warren issued a joint statement saying they are both “committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future.”

Given Chicago’s status as the country’s third-largest media market — and the Bears’ desire to bid for events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four in a new venue — the fate of the stadium project ultimately carries massive ramifications for the league, region, and sports business.

The Bears’ situation is now among the most closely watched NFL stadium development sagas after recent breakthroughs in Buffalo and Tennessee.

Legislators in one of America’s largest and fastest-growing states have approved a bill to introduce sports wagering, providing yet another fertile market territory for gaming operators.

The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation authorizing sports and horse-race wagering following prior approval by the state Senate — and reversing a defeat to anti-gambling advocates nearly a year ago. 

The bill now moves to Gov. Roy Cooper, who repeatedly has expressed support for the measure. If signed into law, the bill would allow betting as soon as January.

The move eclipses most other state approvals, as the Tar Heel State is the country’s ninth-largest in population with nearly 11 million people, hosts four teams in the five major U.S. pro leagues, and has enjoyed the third-most population growth among states from 2021-22. 

Prominent venues such as Bank of America Stadium and Charlotte Motor Speedway could also house in-person sportsbooks, with the bill allowing up to eight such venues in the state.

It’s another critical market for sportsbooks as they continue to build out a patchwork of legalized states. North Carolina researchers are projecting as much as $100 million in annual tax revenue from sports betting by 2028.

Not So Fast

The two most populous states remain elusive to gaming operators.

Last fall, voters in California overwhelmingly defeated two measures that could have legalized sports wagering there. Sports betting in Texas, meanwhile, is dead until at least 2025 after proposed legislation failed to receive consideration in the state senate — Texas lawmakers meet in alternating years.