You know… I like what I like.
General MLS Discussion
- Thread starter Shwafta
- Start date
Great question. It’s about how the needles grow out of the branches. If they are singular they are a spruce or fir. If they grown in groups of 2, 3, or 5 they are pines. Most Christmas trees are spruce or firs for those wondering. Pines don’t really have the “fullness” that people think of when it comes to Christmas tree.
Here’s a good link: Fir vs. Spruce vs. Pine: How to Tell Them Apart - FineGardening
honestly the best thing about this isn't your tree knowledge, it's your profile picture which just makes me read this as Roy Kent, and it's totally something that would actually work in the show. Fits his character.
There are aspects of Messi in Miami that feel very scammy. Especially and including the prices for his games being so much higher than for any other game when there's no guarantee he even steps on the field.
The HK government is literally asking for its money back and made an official declaration.
Inter Miami is little more than a glorified carnival barker showing off its latest wonder of the world.
Counting the days until the Messi show is gone from MLS.
srsly man. My friend is coming to NYC on Fb 26, we were thinking of going to MSG for knicks game. It happens to be against Boston, and so the CHEAPEST TICKET is $300. omg. no thanks. Sucks. Literally a few days later, $99.
Flex pricing is what it is. It sucks for the fans, but it's at least acknowledgeable and somewhat reasonable. Some of the games in my half-season package are retailing for $45. The Red Bulls game is $100. OK, fine. It's a Derby. That's way too high, but I get it.
The Miami game, based on the math of what all the other games cost, is likely going to be $150 or more. Flex pricing is one thing -- the level of price increase for the Miami games all around the league are borderline scammy.
Looking back to last year, I went to our game against Miami when they played us in March for like $25 a ticket. I say now that I saw Miami before it was cool and will never go see them with Messi because I’ve been 100% priced out. For reference I believe that was the game where Pellegrini broke their captain’s leg on a tackle.
Broadway shows established the rules for no-show performers decades ago. Hire a star, goose ticket prices, and when occasionally you need to use the understudy refund nothing. People planned months ahead, with dinner reservations, maybe a hotel or sitter, and too bad.
Flex pricing in sports was inevitable as soon as StubHub and other secondary market makers were allowed to exist. It's unsustainable to let customers charge premium mark ups to each other while the owners/promoters get none of it.
That said, it's basically fraud to have Messi sit out any game in the tour Miami is on now unless he's too hurt to play. The only reasons these games exist is for Miami and the host to make bank and let people get their once in a lifetime chance to see him. At least when he sits out an MLS game, there's a counterweight that the games mean something so it is not done without, in theory, a cost to him and the team. Strategic rest is a thing, but there's a price. The NBA took a lot of heat because it started happening so much it had the secondary effect of making it obvious that maybe a third of regular season games are barely more important than exhibitions. That's not really how it works in a 34 game soccer season.
Finally, when I first saw the tweet and read "Beckham also booed post-match," I thought for a second it meant that Beckham was booing that Messi didn't play.
This is why things shouldn't be written in passive voice.
Flex pricing in sports was inevitable as soon as StubHub and other secondary market makers were allowed to exist. It's unsustainable to let customers charge premium mark ups to each other while the owners/promoters get none of it.
That said, it's basically fraud to have Messi sit out any game in the tour Miami is on now unless he's too hurt to play. The only reasons these games exist is for Miami and the host to make bank and let people get their once in a lifetime chance to see him. At least when he sits out an MLS game, there's a counterweight that the games mean something so it is not done without, in theory, a cost to him and the team. Strategic rest is a thing, but there's a price. The NBA took a lot of heat because it started happening so much it had the secondary effect of making it obvious that maybe a third of regular season games are barely more important than exhibitions. That's not really how it works in a 34 game soccer season.
Finally, when I first saw the tweet and read "Beckham also booed post-match," I thought for a second it meant that Beckham was booing that Messi didn't play.
This is why things shouldn't be written in passive voice.
Last edited:
I don't follow the NBA as much as I used to, but it's my understanding that super star players sitting out games where tickets are priced at a premium is so rampant they're looking to put rules in the book to stop this from happening (if they haven't already done so). The Nets from a few years ago were the biggest culprits.
I don't even have a problem with paying "premium" game prices for Miami. They are a premium game, especially with the players on their roster. It's fine. I'm paying to see Messi, Suarez, Alba, and to see if our team can beat them.
But the extent of the price gouging is insane. 4x what I'm paying for non-premium games really is borderline scammy, and it's being done all over the league. Looks like NYCFC is selling all 40,000+ seats at Yankee Stadium for the Miami game. Sporting KC is renting out the football stadium for that match. So you're getting double your normal attendance while charging 4x the price for every ticket. It's price gouging and it's scammy, and MLS, if they cared about their fans, should put an end to it across the league.
But the extent of the price gouging is insane. 4x what I'm paying for non-premium games really is borderline scammy, and it's being done all over the league. Looks like NYCFC is selling all 40,000+ seats at Yankee Stadium for the Miami game. Sporting KC is renting out the football stadium for that match. So you're getting double your normal attendance while charging 4x the price for every ticket. It's price gouging and it's scammy, and MLS, if they cared about their fans, should put an end to it across the league.
I figured I play soccer with enough folks who would want to see Messi play that I bought a group of 10 tickets. Club offered a deal to put $250 down to get a chance to buy them before they go on sale to the general public tomorrow. By the time it was my turn on Friday the cheapest group of 10 tickets was $175/each in the 400s.
I give credit to the FO for not selling single match tickets to the Miami game -- the only way to buy tickets at face value is to also buy tickets for other NYCFC games. Each of the Miami tickets in my group comes with a ticket you can use for any other NYCFC game the rest of the season.
The Club says these tickets cant be resold on the secondary markets (not sure how they do that)-- if supply and demand is driving the prices up I would rather NYCFC and the other clubs get the benefit of the profits than the secondary resellers.
I give credit to the FO for not selling single match tickets to the Miami game -- the only way to buy tickets at face value is to also buy tickets for other NYCFC games. Each of the Miami tickets in my group comes with a ticket you can use for any other NYCFC game the rest of the season.
The Club says these tickets cant be resold on the secondary markets (not sure how they do that)-- if supply and demand is driving the prices up I would rather NYCFC and the other clubs get the benefit of the profits than the secondary resellers.
$175/each in the 400s! That's insane! My ticket behind the goal in the 100s is $45/game for non-premium games. $100/game for Red Bulls. What a scam Messi is for MLS. This whole thing is so fan unfriendly.
FWIW I'm seeing over on TwitteX that Miami is thinking of cancelling the rest of the tour.
Do I understand correctly that for $1,750 you got 10 Miami tickets and 10 vouchers good for any other game? That's actually quite a nice deal. And good on you for fronting that group deal.
I don't see this as price gouging, but that depends on your definition. Raising prices on necessities, especially during adverse circumstances, or on basic goods (e.g., food) with a captive audience (e.g., airport, stadium), or on health related products (e.g., medication), that is all pretty consistently viewed as price gouging.
Raising prices on a luxury good that is completely optional for everyone, dramatically increasing the supply, and finding that the market is still clambering to buy up every bit, that just doesn't seem like the same thing as selling $20 mini-bottles of Purell after the pandemic hits.
Raising prices on a luxury good that is completely optional for everyone, dramatically increasing the supply, and finding that the market is still clambering to buy up every bit, that just doesn't seem like the same thing as selling $20 mini-bottles of Purell after the pandemic hits.
The World Soccer Report tweet thread linked above omitted the reason/excuse for Messi sitting out the game in Hong Kong. It's apparently a hamstring injury.
www.scmp.com
Miami cannot be expected or required to jeopardize Messi's availability for the season by playing him in an exhibition when there is even a shadow of a hint of a twinge of a soft tissue injury.
Yet, the Hong Kong exhibition has no purpose if Messi does not play. Miami does not get goodwill. The fans don't get what they want, and local promoters are caught in the middle.
Basically the preseason international tour was a bad idea. The only way to avoid a possible fiasco was not to go down this road at all.
Messi’s Hong Kong no-show: what contract said, when government knew, any refund?
After the Argentinian played no part in a much-hyped match in the city, the Post examines who knew what and when, and what took place behind the scenes as the saga unfolded.
www.scmp.com
Miami cannot be expected or required to jeopardize Messi's availability for the season by playing him in an exhibition when there is even a shadow of a hint of a twinge of a soft tissue injury.
Yet, the Hong Kong exhibition has no purpose if Messi does not play. Miami does not get goodwill. The fans don't get what they want, and local promoters are caught in the middle.
Basically the preseason international tour was a bad idea. The only way to avoid a possible fiasco was not to go down this road at all.
Correct -- but I havent figured out if all 10 vouchers have to be used for the same game or not. Hopefully everyone can use them to fit into their schedules. I have some very happy teammates for hooking them up. Its going to be a good time.
Similar threads
