"I want people walking around in our baseball caps" - When David Beckham shared ambition of making Inter Miami a global brand like Yankees
Former soccer star and co-owner of Inter Miami (of Major League Soccer), David Beckham, cited the New York Yankees as a benchmark brand and something he wants to achieve for his MLS team.
In July 2023, in an interaction with The Athletic, Beckham hailed the success of the Yankees using the example of their baseball caps, which people wear regularly in New York and other parts of the world. Beckham strives to do the same with Inter Miami.
“I said, ‘What I want is the New York Yankees’,” Beckham said, referring to the dinner he had with Lionel Messi and fellow teammates. “Whether you’re a baseball fan, whether you’re a fan of the Yankees, whether you love New York, I want to create a brand like they have.
“You see the Yankees hat and straight away you know what it is. I want people walking around in our baseball caps knowing that’s a Miami cap, that’s a Miami brand. (That) Even if you’re not a soccer fan, you want to wear the jersey and the cap.”
Inter Miami Soccer Club was founded in 2020 by co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas. The club grabbed headlines after they signed forward Lionel Messi in the early half of 2023. The eight time Ballon d'Or made an immediate impact with three goals in first three appearances.
Messi's mere presence has driven viewership and merchandise sales to an all-time high.
On the other hand, the Yankees are one of the most valued Major League Baseball clubs, with a $970 million brand value, according to Forbes. They have 27 World Series titles to their name, the highest by any MLB team.
Yankees have a good partnership between Aaron Judge and Juan Soto
The Yankees are looking forward to another World Series hopeful year after acquiring star outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres.
Many would not know this, but Aaron Judge made a call to Soto last December, expressing his desire to play alongside him. The next thing you know, Soto blasts opposing pitchers in spring training.
Recently, Judge told reporters about the presence of Soto in the clubhouse and how he is getting to know him even more.
“I've admired his work from afar for a while, so now [I’m] getting a chance to pick his brain and talk to him about his approach,” Judge said. “What he likes to do, what he doesn't like to do, stuff in the outfield, communicating. The quicker we can get on the same page and get to know each other, the better we'll be in the long haul.”
Soto, too, only had good things to say about his captain.
“He's been good. He's even better than what I expected,” Soto said of Judge. “I knew he was a great guy, but I didn't know he was that good. Everything [about] his vibe, everything's good. He's just thinking positive and he's trying to win as much as he can.”
It remains to be seen whether this partnership could result in the end of the Yankees' World Series drought.