thelesterlee
One of the greatest soccer players in the history of history is coming to the United States. Lionel Messi is set to leave Barcelona and sign with Inter Miami. He may debut for the MLS club as early as July 21st.
35-year old Lionel Messi will be following in the footsteps of some of the greatest players of our generation who all aged out of their prime in Europe and came to America for a BAG. From David Beckham to Thierry Henry to Wayne Rooney. This is just what you do when you are ready to transition to retirement but still want to feel like the best player on a soccer team. And maybe make some cameos in American movies and TV shows.
I guess the question immediately becomes, is this going to make me watch Major League Soccer?
The World Cup is incredible but it’s the best players in the world playing for the highest stakes. The entire planet is watching. You better not miss a penalty kick or else your family is in danger. There are truly life and death stakes.
But more importantly, not only is everyone watching it but everyone’s talking about the World Cup too. The NBA and NFL’s success is directly related to how often those sports are discussed on television as well as on social media throughout the games.
MLS doesn’t have that level of clout or attention. ESPN would rather spend 1,000 consecutive hours talking about what Aaron Rodgers ordered at Chick-Fil-A than even flash a highlight of an MLS goal. If a brand like Bleacher Report posts anything soccer related, the comments are immediately flooded with edge lord teens saying it’s not a real sport. There isn’t a ton of Inter Miami discourse online.
And I feel comfortable with you guys. I can be real. I’m only writing this story about Lionel Messi for SEO purposes. This is going to get pageviews solely off the mention of his name. I don’t even know if the photo I’m using is from this decade.
But I do understand internationally, he’s one of the biggest stars ever. There’s a reason why Apple is offering him shares of the revenue generated when new fans sign up for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+. Regular dudes don’t get those under the table deals.
If anyone can make people care about MLS it’s the GOAT. Maybe I’ll try to watch a little bit and write some content about it. Or, I’ll forget this signing even happened until I randomly see a Tweet saying Messi retired in a few years.
Regardless, I’m already annoyed at the photos Messi and Jimmy Butler are going to take hanging out together in Miami. Especially if the Heat win this championship. I already know Butler is going to caption the photo “Two Goats” but he’ll probably use the worst emojis too. I’m sick.
Does Lionel Messi coming to MLS make you want to watch soccer? Do you want more soccer coverage here at Deadseriousness? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let’s talk footy.
