Man of the people

The GIST: FIFA men’s World Cup tickets are expensive: Fans know it, Gotham FC knows it, and NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani knows it. So in an initiative to make local soccer more affordable, the NWSL club teamed up with Mamdani to sell 1K tickets for its May 9th home game for $5 each, and they sold out in under an hour — and Gotham’s working to offer another 500 more at this price.

• Everyone loves a good sale, but it’s also an opportunity for the club to get in front of Mamdani’s 2.4M Instagram followers, an audience it believes overlaps with its own core demos. We chatted with Gotham FC vice president of communications Jeff Greer about why the collab made sense and why civic support is crucial to sports teams. Let’s kick it.

The context: Mamdani — who famously campaigned on making the city more affordable for New Yorkers — has been critical about the World Cup hurting fans with exorbitant (and dynamic) ticket prices. The NYC mayor has argued it could be an even bigger economic opportunity for the city if residents could actually afford to go.

• Greer said the team connected with World Cup czar Maya Handa at a recent event and chatted about Mamdani potentially attending a game. He’s not the first politician to put on teal — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Eric Adams, and others have been in the stands — but the campaign embraces two of Mamdani’s core strategies: Promoting an affordable New York and winning over New Yorkers through social media. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a W fan.

The strategy: It’s only the beginning for this collab, as Gotham is working with the mayor throughout the summer to promote the sport. Greer said it’s important to have positive relationships with civic leaders — consider how much Boston mayor Michelle Wu impacted Boston Legacy FC’s quest for White Stadium.

• Gotham has already been promoting its affordability, so the assist from Mamdani plays well with New Yorkers who support his policies. And there’s a demographic overlap between young, progressive Mamdani supporters and Gotham fans — Greer notes how women’s sports fans are young and digitally-driven, just like Mamdani’s supporter base.

Zooming out: We’re seeing the impact power players are having in bringing NWSL teams to town, but once they’re there, it’s important to have a friend in office. But beyond just being a friendly face in the stands, this illustrates a cohesive, visible alliance that links the shared missions — and fans — of both Gotham and Mamdani.

• Mamdani hopes to unify the city under shared values, while Gotham reps NY and New Jersey, so it’s also thinking about bringing the tri-state together. The team is even playing in Queens this July, an event that just surpassed a club record with 16K ticket sales.

• Making footy more accessible and affordable is just what Gotham and Mamdani need to kick off a big summer of soccer. The change we need.