3 June 29 - July 5, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA BALLER! WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MESSI’S MOVE TO INTER MIAMI. BY ALEX DELUCA S till processing the news of soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s move to the Magic City? Welcome to the club. On June 7, the 35-year-old Argentinian footballer officially announced his plans to join Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami, snubbing a glamorous of- fer from Saudi Arabia and passing on an op- portunity to return to Barcelona, where he spent the first decade and a half of his career. Deals with Adidas and Apple reportedly sweetened the Miami offer. “I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami,” he confirmed in a joint interview with Mundo Deportivo and Sport. “If Barce- lona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Eu- rope, get out of the spotlight, and think more about my family.” Naturally, the announcement — which comes on the heels of Messi’s recent World Cup win with Argentina — has led to an up- tick in Inter Miami ticket prices, rumblings about where Messi could reside in South Florida, and global attention on a level the team had never seen. If you’re struggling to keep up with all the buzz about Miami’s soon-to-be hometown hero, here’s what you need to know. Why Inter Miami? The soccer legend had a host of destination options. There was Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, which reportedly offered him a yearly salary of more than $425 million, plus commercial deals, for a two-season stay. FC Barcelona, the team where he spent the bulk of his career, was also an option, but the team reportedly planned to offer what amounted to a paltry sum in comparison: $27 million in salary. According to veteran Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué, who broke the news of Messi’s decision, Inter Miami swooped in with an offer the footballer couldn’t refuse, one that involves collaborations with Apple and Adidas on commercial deals to “make his brand even bigger.” Apple owns the worldwide broadcasting rights for MLS, while Adidas is MLS’ exclu- sive jersey supplier. MLS and Apple have been in discussions about giving Messi part of the revenue from subscriptions to Apple’s MLS Season Pass package, the Athletic re- ported. Apple also recently struck a deal with Messi to launch a four-part documentary on his career. In his interview with Mundo Deportivo, the star added that playing for Miami and the MLS will afford him more time to spend with his family, in contrast to the high-pressure, tabloid-laden world of European soccer. “I want to find again the enjoyment, with the enjoyment of my family, my children, the day-to-day,” he told the outlet. Where Will Messi Live? Messi is no stranger to the 305. He already owns a $5 million condo at the Porsche De- sign Tower in Sunny Isles Beach, which he has previously rented out, and has spent a handful of holiday vacations in Miami. Still, where he will ultimately settle down in South Florida with his wife and three chil- dren is unclear. This hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning. Speculation has swirled that the footballer could live somewhere in Broward County’s quieter suburbs, with sources tell- ing Argentine daily newspaper la Nación that Messi’s “favorite places” in Miami are Key Biscayne and the wealthy Broward suburb of Weston, “areas where he usually rents every time he visits South Florida.” Inter Miami, partly owned by retired soc- cer legend David Beckham, is currently play- ing at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Its yet-to-be-constructed Miami Freedom Park stadium isn’t expected to open until at least 2025. Are Tickets Sold Out? It didn’t take long for Inter Miami home game tickets to skyrocket in value— and then subsequently sell out — following the news of Messi’s decision. Inter Miami’s 2023 season tickets are no longer available on the team’s website, which is now accepting $200+ deposits for the 2024 season. The Miami Herald reported that for home matches after July 1, the team has with- held some single-game tickets for sale in a strategic move ahead of Messi’s arrival. Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to see Messi play across the U.S. this year, but prepare to spend some money. Messi’s first stateside match is set for July 21, when Inter Miami takes on Mexico City’s Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium as part of the 2023 Leagues Cup tournament. Tickets for the Cruz Azul matchup, once just $29, spiked to $329 within 24 hours of Messi’s announcement, according to the re- sale website TickPick. The cheapest tickets for the match are currently going for up- wards of $886 and front-row centerfield tickets run roughly $18,000 on the resale site StubHub. Fans can score tickets for the Aug. 20 and Sept. 9 home matches against Charlotte FC and Sporting Kansas City for roughly $170 and $195, respectively, on certain resale sites. Find the full Inter Miami 2023 season schedule at intermiamicf.com. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Ticket prices for Inter Miami CF matches have increased since Lionel Messi announced he was joining the team. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images ▼ TAMARAC HARD TIME JANUARY 6 RIOTER FROM WESTON SENTENCED TO NEARLY FIVE YEARS IN PRISON. BY ALEX DELUCA A Weston native who beat a cop with a baton during the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack in 2021 — and then allegedly kept the weapon as a “souvenir” under a computer desk in his Florida home — has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison. A year and a half after Mason Courson, 27, was arrested at his Tamarac residence, U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras has sentenced him to 57 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riot. Courson was accused of joining a mob chanting “Heave, ho!” as they bashed their way into the Capitol, leaving D.C. Metropolitan police officer Daniel Hodges crushed and bleeding between two doors. Hodges testified that the rioters yanked off his gas mask and that one shouted, “You will die on your knees.” Courson pleaded guilty in the District of Co- lumbia last November to assaulting another offi- cer with a deadly weapon (the baton) during the melee. In addition to the prison term, the judge tacked on 36 months of supervised release and ordered Courson to pay $2,000 in restitution. According to court documents, Courson and a group of rioters stormed into the Lower West Ter- race tunnel of the Capitol around 3:15 p.m. on Jan- uary 6. They proceeded to assault police with a flagpole, crutch, and batons stolen from officers. Rioters grabbed an officer, identified as “B.M.” in court documents, and pulled him down a flight of stairs outside the Capitol. “Once Officer B.M. was partway down the steps, co-defendant Peter Stager beat Officer B.M. with a flagpole. Courson then beat Officer B.M. with a police baton,” prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum states, noting that Courson’s as- sault was captured on a police body-worn camera. It was eventually revealed in court documents that Courson kept the beanie he wore that day, along with the baton that he used to strike the D.C. officer. Pictured in government evidence next to a stoic, white-pawed cat in Courson’s home, the weapon was found under his computer desk near a Confederate flag. Prosecutors had sought a seven-year sentence for Courson, who faced a maximum of 20 years in prison on the charge. They noted in the sentenc- ing memorandum that he had previously been arrested in 2015 on charges of battery, as- sault on law enforcement, and disorderly con- duct in a Delray Beach incident in which he allegedly punched and kicked local police. Courson grew up in Weston and played foot- ball at Cypress Bay High School. He attended college at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before moving back to South Florida, where he attended Broward College and later opened an electronics business that resold audio and video equipment. His defense attorney argued for a sentence no greater than 33 months, pointing to Cour- son’s 3-year-old son and citing letters of support from family members who described him as a doting father. The attorney told the court the South Florida native “regrets his conduct and apologizes to the law enforcement officers who struggled in that chaotic scene.” Courson’s mom previously launched a cam- paign on the Christian crowdfunding platform Gi- veSendGo seeking to raise $50,000 to help cover Courson’s legal fees and other financial obliga- tions. The campaign, titled “My Patriot Son,” states that Courson had “no ill intent” when he went to watch then-President Trump speak but wound up in a situation he “never imagined.” As of June 21, the GiveSendGo campaign had raised more than $30,000. [email protected] COURSON KEPT THE BATON THAT HE USED TO STRIKE THE D.C. OFFICER.
