The Copa America Mess in Miami

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;47;09
Mark Conrad
Hello and welcome to the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, the podcast that explores the world of professional, collegiate, amateur and Olympic sports. I'm Mark Conrad or Prof. C from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, where I serve as Professor of Law and Ethics and the Director of the Sports Business Initiative. Given the logistics of fans entering and exiting a facility with finite numbers of seats and the potential for exuberant fans coming, security concerns are significant.

00;00;47;12 - 00;01;18;22
Mark Conrad
And in our era of potential terrorist threats, it is not uncommon for patrons to wait to get to metal detectors and pocket searches. All this makes what happened at the final game of Copa America, the leading regional soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere so distressing. A quick summary: The final match took place between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium near Miami.

00;01;18;24 - 00;01;54;04
Mark Conrad
According to a number of reports, thousands of fans without tickets tried to enter the stadium and more than a few were successful. Some rushed through security and others entered through air vents to get in. After the breach, the entrance gates were closed, leading to large crowds and pushing and shoving in the almost unbearably hot weather. According to a report in The Athletic, with the sun beating down, fans pushed toward the closed gates, causing a crush.

00;01;54;06 - 00;02;21;23
Mark Conrad
There were few visible barriers to disperse the people trying to get in, nor were there ways to ease the flow. When the gates opened slightly, the fans swelled forward and security closed the gates again, with several people stuck outside saying they had no idea what was going on. People fainted, and others, with tickets as high as $2,000 in the resale market, could not get in.

00;02;21;25 - 00;02;50;16
Mark Conrad
Others did get in and found other patrons in their seats. Some fans fought police and security personnel, and others caused damage to the stadium. Despite a thrilling Argentina win in extra time, everyone else lost and a reckoning is needed and fast because this country will host the World Cup with far more teams, many more stadiums, and many more fans.

00;02;50;18 - 00;03;26;23
Mark Conrad
Thus far, there seems to be a shifting of blame. CONMEBOL, the South American soccer federation hosting the event, blamed Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade put the burden on CONMEBOL. One word about the broadcast on Fox Sports. This broadcaster has a history of sweeping critical issues under the rug in its soccer coverage. But Alexi Lalas took the grand prize in sheer chutzpah when the network addressed, but downplayed, these issues during the 80-minute game delay.

00;03;26;26 - 00;03;57;26
Mark Conrad
He said, “Don't let anybody tell you that America is not a soccer nation. I think this shows there is a fervor and there's a passion for this game and for these tournaments.” Just moronic. A precursor to this happened a few days before in a semifinal game in Charlotte, North Carolina, where fans of Colombia and Ecuador began fighting and some family members of players were caught in the middle.

00;03;57;28 - 00;04;28;10
Mark Conrad
Witnesses said it took at least 15 minutes for security to show up. With all this in mind, the organizers of the World Cup, along with the stadium operators and cities, will have to come up with a more comprehensive plan to address fan control in 2026. Increased safety protocols, practice drills, opening up facilities up to five hours before game time,

00;04;28;13 - 00;05;06;05
Mark Conrad
better ticket collection, prescreening centers around the stadium, tighter security, and warnings in the media about the threats of arrests would be a start. Any thoughts? Send them to me at [email protected]. Thank you for listening. Until next time. This is prophecy for the Gabelli Sports Business Initiative.