The Messi Effect: How Lionel Messi’s Arrival in the MLS is Changing the Game

A legend arrives in America, and with him the potential revolution of a league and the way we look at contract negotiations

Living in America, it sometimes gets overlooked just how popular of a sport soccer is on an international stage. I attended high school in Amman, Jordan and this rabid fandom was on full display one summer evening in 2004. It was the final of the UEFA European Championship between Greece and Portugal. I was with some family members at a local coffee shop and it was packed with factions of people rooting for each team. They were hanging on to every second, every play with tight fists and clenched jaws.

Many Americans might never understand this fascination, and as a result they don’t think too much of their own domestic league, the MLS, with much reverence. The MLS has made strides to try and change this and become more prominent with the average American sports fan. One way that they have attempted to do this is to lure aging stars from the bigger European leagues to ply their trade in the MLS. But now the league has caught its biggest fish, arguably the greatest player to play the game: Lionel Messi. His arrival to Inter Miami has the potential to be a game changer for the fortunes of the MLS and a marked shift in the way we look at contract negotiations in the…