3 May 28 - June 3, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | 3 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ MIAMI WHAT COULD IT COST, $300? FACT-CHECKING FIFA BOSS GIANNI INFANTINO’S CLAIM ABOUT SPORTS TICKETS IN MIAMI. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON T he soccer equivalent of Catholi- cism’s pope was in the headlines recently for once again sticking his foot in his mouth. The most controversial man in the world’s most popular game, FIFA Pres- ident Gianni Infantino, has been known for making head-scratching comments, like when he told everyone how he was feeling in the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker,” said the white Italian man in a het- erosexual marriage. Most recently, Infantino was defending high ticket prices to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., which start at about $300 and run into the thousands, when he made his lat- est gaffe. Defending the high price of admission amid reporters’ questions last week, Infan- tino said, “We have 25 percent of the group stage tickets which can be bought for less than $300. You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game — not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level — for less than $300. And this is the World Cup.” If the comment seems out of touch, it’s probably because you shop for groceries, pay for car insurance, and are generally down to Earth. To fact-check his claim, New Times looked at the prices of professional sporting events in South Florida, focusing on the cheapest tickets, and (spoiler alert) you can attend almost any professional sporting event for far less than $300. Miami Dolphins Ticket prices have likely dropped or stayed low in recent years because of the team’s dismal performance. The cheapest ticket to the Dol- phins’ game on Nov. 29 against the New York Jets (another NFL bottom-feeder) is only $75. Even games against other major rivals (Buffalo Bills on Jan. 3, 2027, and New England Patriots on Nov. 1) are only $139 and $124, respectively. So, you could actually go to two of the biggest games of the season for less than $300. Miami Heat Heat tickets at Kaseya Center are much cheaper, starting in the $30 range on Stub- Hub. You can even get an authentic jersey from the team store for $250 and still be un- der Infantino’s magic $300 estimate. Inter Miami You’d think Infantino’s $300 remark would at least be right when it comes to soccer, but his claim falls apart once again when looking at Inter Miami tickets. The cheapest tickets to Inter Miami’s home game against Chicago Fire FC on July 22 are about $60. Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins, who shocked fans by be- ginning the season on a winning streak, are the cheapest professional team to see in South Florida. Tickets to Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves start at $13, meaning you could bring your 22 closest friends and still be a dollar under $300. Florida Panthers Tickets to see the two-time Stanley Cup de- fending champions aren’t on sale currently because the team didn’t make the playoffs this season. Fans can expect ticket prices to start at about $100 when the team’s 2026-27 schedule comes out over the summer, accord- ing to Ticketmaster. Miami Grand Prix Miami’s Formula 1 race is among the most luxurious sporting events of the year. The race just took place this month, but tickets are already on sale for next year. Prices for a one- day ticket begin at $116 on Vivid Seats. Miami Open Another one of South Florida’s most luxe sporting events, the Miami Open is actually another affordable event. While most tickets run from about $116 to $180, there are a few for $24 on StubHub. Cadillac Championship You might expect Miami’s premier golfing competition at Trump National Doral to start at $43 and average about $164, according to Vivid Seats. You can even buy the official PGA polo for $90. Homestead-Miami Speedway South Florida’s other professional racing track also has tickets to watch events like NASCAR, IndyCar, and other pro racing com- petitions for under $300. Tickets to the No- vember NASCAR race start at about $117. In summary: Infantino is completely wrong because one can easily find profes- sional sporting event tickets, snacks, and merchandise for less than $300 combined. | RIPTIDE | FIFA president Gianni Infantino is a notorious gaffe machine. Photo by Piotr Drabik ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE LIFE IN PLASTIC A MIAMI-AREA COMPANY IS CLAIMING BARBIE DREAM FEST ORGANIZERS LEFT SOUTH FLORIDA WITHOUT PAYING THE BILL. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON T he event-planning company behind the infamous Barbie Dream Fest may need to call on lawyer Barbie after a Miami- area company filed a lawsuit against it over a contract dispute. New York-based entertainment company Mischief Management sponsored the first-ever official Barbie festival (Barbie Dream Fest in Fort Lauderdale) from March 27 to 29, which many at- tendees agreed was an absolute disaster. Ac- cording to a lawsuit filed two days after the event by Doral-based Utopia Marketing, which hasn’t been reported on until now, the festival wasn’t the pink-drenched dream organizers pitched. Audio/visual production company Utopia Marketing, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, is suing Mischief Management LLC in Miami-Dade County civil court, arguing the com- pany failed to pay about $8,800 for services ren- dered, according to the lawsuit. It appears to be the first time a dispute over the failed fest is heading to a courtroom. “Defendant made partial payment toward the total amount, confirming acceptance of ser- vices, and failed to pay the remaining balance after work was complete,” according to the law- suit, which includes few details and appears to have been filed pro se by Utopia Marketing founder Victor Burgos. Mischief Management didn’t respond to New Times’ request for comment this week and didn’t have an attorney listed in court records. While the lawsuit doesn’t explicitly mention Barbie Dream Fest, the festival appears to be the only event Mischief Management has hosted in South Florida this year. The festival went viral in late March when attendees began posting pho- tos and videos of a sparsely decorated conven- tion center. Among the points of contention was the Bar- bie Dream House itself, which had been called a “larger-than-life version of Barbie’s iconic front yard.” The accompanying graphic on the festival’s website depicts a Barbie Dream House resem- bling the set seen in 2023’s Barbie film. In actual- ity, the activation appears to be a cardboard backdrop on a wall next to a pink vintage VW van. “The first thing I noticed — there’s a lot of empty space,” said TikTok user @alittlebitbar- bie in a POV video of the festival. “There’s so much open, empty space.” The user also criti- cized the festival’s marketplace for selling prod- ucts that were not at all affiliated with the Barbie brand. Another TikTok user, @kiersdolls, claimed she drove four hours to attend (during an apoca- lyptic weekend for traffic in South Florida, no less). “I can’t believe I paid like $69 to do this,” she said. Tickets to the three- day festival ranged from $33 to $438. So profound was the backlash that Mischief Management officials announced they’d be issuing full refunds to everyone who bought tickets, a rare action taken when an event doesn’t go to plan. Mere hours after the event ended Sunday night, Barbie manufacturer Mattel issued a state- ment to New Times seemingly blaming Mischief Management for the botched execution. “Barbie Dream Fest was created by Mischief Management, which licensed the Barbie brand from Mattel,” a Mattel spokesperson said in a statement to New Times. “We are working with Mischief Management, who are managing at- tendee feedback and issuing full refunds to ev- eryone who purchased tickets. We want every fan experience to be an excellent one.” Mischief Management quickly made the deci- sion to refund not just the guests who paid hun- dreds to attend all three days, but everyone who had bought tickets, according to a statement sent to New Times. “Mischief Management is incredibly grateful to everyone who joined Barbie Dream Fest. We ap- preciate the passion and engagement from the Barbie community. Bringing fans together—along- side Barbie role models, designers, partners, and global icons who embody the true spirit of Bar- bie—was at the heart of this event. Barbie Dream Fest was created as an intimate fan convention designed to foster meaningful connection, inspira- tion, and closer access to Barbie and her world. We will be providing full refunds to every- one who purchased tickets,” a spokesperson said. [email protected] “THE FIRST THING I NOTICED — THERE’S A LOT OF EMPTY SPACE. THERE’S SO MUCH OPEN, EMPTY SPACE.”
