In January, as Inter Miami arrived in El Salvador for its first preseason match of 2024, hundreds of cheering fans greeted the team’s convoy of pink buses, jostling past one another just to catch a glimpse of, arguably, the most famous athlete on the planet, Lionel Messi.
Click here to read the story at forbes.com.
Discussion Questions:
- Given that not all professional sports teams generate a profit, why would anyone want to purchase a franchise?
- What do you think a major league sports franchise’s biggest expense might be?
- What is revenue?
- Why is revenue important to pro sports teams like those in MLS?
- How do teams generate revenue?
- What factors influence the value of a franchise?
- How much did the average value of a MLS franchise increase in value last year, based on information from this story?
- How have the values of other U.S. pro sports teams impacted the values of MLS franchises, according to this news story?
- Which franchise is the most valuable?
- Why do you think MLS franchise values are on the rise?
- Who is Lionel Messi?
- How did Messi’s arrival impact Major League Soccer?