August 17, 2023

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The 2023 Women’s World Cup is over, but the tournament’s afterglow continues. England and Australia recorded domestic viewership records, and FIFA reported unprecedented ticket sales for an event that further validates the historic rise of women’s sports.

Meanwhile, Messi Mania moves to local MLS markets, but league commissioner Don Garber remains fixed on the long game, while the Cleveland Cavaliers face an arena cash crunch not of their own making.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Women’s World Cup Final Draws Historic U.K. Viewership Numbers [[link removed]]

Fox Soccer/Twitter

While England wasn’t able to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the country’s 1-0 loss to Spain in Sunday’s final still broke a domestic viewership record.

The match drew 12 million viewers on BBC One — making it the most-watched women’s soccer match in U.K. history [[link removed]] and the second-most watched event for BBC this year behind the inauguration of King Charles III. It was England’s first appearance in the Women’s World Cup Final.

The final racked up a further 3.9 million views [[link removed]] on the BBC’s digital platforms.

The previous U.K. record for a women’s soccer match was England’s victory in the Euro 2022 final over Germany, which averaged just over 11 million viewers. In this World Cup, England’s semifinal victory over Australia drew [[link removed]] 7 million.

Last year, England’s final match of the Qatar World Cup — a loss to France in the quarterfinals — brought in more than 19 million viewers in the U.K.

More Records

Australia set records of its own at this Women’s World Cup — the Matildas’ elimination at the hands of England was the most-watched TV program on record in Australia with more than 7 million domestic viewers [[link removed]].

Final viewership figures for the Women’s World Cup on Fox Sports in the U.S. are still being determined.

MLS Stresses Clubs Take Initiative In Harnessing Messi Mania [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off Inter Miami’s dramatic Leagues Cup triumph, MLS isn’t employing a top-down approach to further capitalize on Messi Mania.

Lionel Messi has scored 10 goals, led Inter Miami to seven straight wins and the tournament title, and driven an extensive [[link removed]] series [[link removed]] of business [[link removed]] gains [[link removed]] since joining MLS last month. But as Inter Miami returns to the league’s main domestic competition, MLS sees no need to develop a masterplan for clubs to employ when Messi visits their market.

“It is the responsibility of the local clubs to build their fan base,” said [[link removed]] MLS commissioner Don Garber. “The league is not going to tell them what to do when somebody else comes to town.”

Garber’s comments highlight a delicate situation. Messi’s popularity is like nothing else in MLS history — and presents a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the league to transform its stature and business. At the same time, Garber and MLS are tasked with building strength across the league that will far outlast Messi.

“It’s not just about that one player,” Garber said. “It’s about: How do you feel about your club, and can that player give you something that might make it a little more special?”

Ticket Frenzy

Messi continues to drive massive increases in ticket resale prices.

Inter Miami will play the U.S. Open Cup seminal Tuesday against FC Cincinnati, after which the Argentine icon will play his first regular-season MLS match against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. Resale prices for the club’s late-season matches have surged [[link removed]] as much as 1,760%, according to ticket aggregator TicketIQ.

Some of those figures are skewed by high-end listings that may not lead to sales. But current get-in pricing for any of the club’s remaining 2023 games is not less than $135 per ticket.

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More Teams Grapple With Funding As Stadium Upgrades Get Complex [[link removed]]

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are running into an increasingly common dilemma: They’re planning $24.4 million in upgrades to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, but the public entity responsible for funding the work can’t pay for it.

The Gateway Economic Development Corp. of Greater Cleveland — which owns both Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and neighboring Progressive Field — has approved the renovation work to upgrade the arena’s broadcast systems, elevators, and escalators, in keeping with lease terms requiring it to fund major capital improvements in excess of $500,000.

But that same body has acknowledged [[link removed]] it doesn’t currently have the money, as cigarette and alcohol taxes that had helped to back prior construction and renovation expenses haven’t kept up with the facility’s needs.

In the meantime, the Cavaliers will front the renovation expenses with the hope of being reimbursed. Last season, the team reached the playoffs for the first time since advancing to the 2018 NBA Finals with LeBron James. In 2019, the Cavs completed a $185 million renovation that extended the team’s lease at the arena to at least 2034.

Not Quite Like Milwaukee … Yet

Though the Cavs haven’t threatened any type of relocation attempt or legal action, the team’s current situation still resembles that of MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers [[link removed]], who are also looking to complete a facility renovation whose responsibility falls to a local public authority.

The Guardians have already settled their issues with the Gateway authority for Progressive Field, agreeing [[link removed]] to a long-term lease extension that will see major renovations begin after the 2023 MLB season.

Conversation Starters Neymar was introduced to his new Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal with a massive [[link removed]] drone and light show. With his purchase of a franchise in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL golf league, Arthur Blank added [[link removed]] to a sports portfolio that includes the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the PGA TOUR Superstore. When Atlanta built its new stadium in 2017, Blank introduced new fan-first concession prices at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Check out [[link removed]] what you can get for $20.

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Editor's Picks Steph Curry Is On a Mission to Make Golf More Equitable [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Curry has launched Underrated Golf and the Howard University golf program. Baker Mayfield Petitions Family’s Investment Firm Over Missing $12M [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]Mayfield is targeting his father's investment firm over alleged missing funds. ESPN’s Unveils New ‘Monday Night Countdown’ Cast [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]ESPN is unveiling new cast for "Monday Night Countdown" show. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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