Beckham goes to America

[Sheail]

So, my question is, ermm, does anyone care?

It's a pretty sweet business deal for a semi-retired male model/footballer/marketing man's dream to make a cool $250m playing "soccer". Unfortunately he's lost all credibility as a sportsman in the process. On the plus side, his wife will be several thousand miles further away.

[john m]

There are obvious comparisons to be drawn to Pele coming to America, but I don't buy it. America is sick of soccer, whereas during Pele's time, it at least had a chance to achieve some success. The NFL is almost entirely a perfect company, MLB and NBA still garner interest, NASCAR is getting hotter by the year (sadly)... hell, even the NHL will probably maintain more interest than MLS. (And that's quite the insult. The replacement-fodder shows that ran during the NHL lockout were rated higher than NHL telecasts.)

Really, good for Beckham. He's making a ridiculous sum of money for what will amount to little important work (far up there in soccer years), and he's expanding his brand to the one place in the world that has yet to fully accept him (or soccer). Good business move for him...

...and a HORRIBLE business move for MLS. They are essentially wagering their own bankruptcy. The extent of soccer interest in America is World Cup Live being inserted into ESPN's nightly Trifecta every four years and earning middling ratings. Football (real football) is a beautiful game, and one that I love perhaps more than any other, but America is not the market for it.

[Caravan Ray]

So, my question is, ermm, does anyone care?

No - it's not like he's ever done anything important, like Warnie.

[fodroy]

So, my question is, ermm, does anyone care?

Nope. It was a tiny news blurb. The MLS is a pretty worthless league that most people probably aren't even aware of.

I don't know if he's already come to America. If he hasn't, maybe it'll get more attention when he actually does.

[jack]

it's the UK's way of paying us back for bringing them into this Iraq mess.

like we don't have enough overexposed celebrity in this country (and in california) without having to deal with becks, his 250 million dollar contract, and his ferret face wife, and having to suffer through reading about every time one of them farts.

[Caravan Ray]

it's the UK's way of paying us back for bringing them into this Iraq mess.
.

How can Australia pay you back? Will you take Russel Crowe and Leyton Hewitt? Please? Oh, and you may as well keep Nicole Kidman and her druggie husband.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

It's a HUGE DEAL!

For Beck and Posh.

For those of us with a brain it matters not. Comparing his move to the U.S. whatever soccer league and Pele's move here is akin to comparing naming an MLK Drive in whatever city you wish to choose and the Louisiana Purchase. One is simply more significant than the other. Beck's impact on the game here in the States will be nothing more than a speck of a date in sports history. Pele's time here actually made me interested in the game, for a minute.

It's a publicity stunt front to back. He's a semi famous "professional athlete" with nothing left in the tank that's married to a semi-hot "celebrity" wife with little to no talent.

How long before they get eaten alive by the media in the "media capitol of the world"?

Personally I give it 6 to 18 months tops.

[bz£]

One nice thing that this does for US soccer is that it makes MLS look a little bit more respectable to the rest of the world. Granted, nobody in the US cares, but I think that clubs in Europe are more willing to look at the few good players coming out of America than they used to be.

Here are a few examples. Clint Dempsey just got bought by Fulham after two good years in MLS and Celtic had a bid turned down for Shalrie Joseph. And that's just my local team. Eddie Johnson had a trial with an EPL team recently (Man City, I think, but I can't remember). That sort of thing didn't happen twenty years ago. Our whole national team is playing in England, except for a few guys in the Bundesliga. Beckham doesn't really have much to do with all that, but it does mean that clubs in Europe will be more likely to at least pay attention to what's going on here.

While I don't disagree that this is a "publicity stunt front to back," I do think Dan's description of the man is a little bit unfair. It was only a few months ago that Bex was captaining his country in the World Cup and there were a couple of English clubs interested in signing him. He's old, sure, and especially so in football terms (it's a young man's game), but his game was never about being fast and hard-working. He can still play, and in a league with MLS standards he's good enough to be a leading star.

"Semi-famous" is just wrong-- he is, worldwide, one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. The vast majority of his contract is endorsements. I guess it's a matter of perspective, though. Tom Brady is only semi-famous in Finland. Putting "professional athlete" in quotation marks, suggesting he isn't, is either ignorance or the typical American dismissal of the world's most popular sport.

[Leaf]

The Galaxy is holding OPEN tryouts for the team.


Seems they broke the bank on that one eh...looking for some cheap filler players as Becks wins games single handed. You know, cause soccer...er football is such a one man game.


Yep. One good player past his prime and a bunch of wannabees. Look out America!! Beckham and soccer's gonna take that country by storm!!

[Caravan Ray]

"Semi-famous" is just wrong-- he is, worldwide, one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. The vast majority of his contract is endorsements. I guess it's a matter of perspective, though. Tom Brady is only semi-famous in Finland.

Yes - he is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. I have very little interest in soccer - but even I know who he is. I certainly have no idea who Tom Brady is (or any of the other names in your post)

Amongst sports that I have no interest in (ie anything outside of the rugby codes, cricket or swimming) - the only still-competing, non-Australian athletes who would be instantly recognisable to me would probably be Beckham, Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi

[Smalltown Mike]

I think Beckham is dreamy.

[Leaf]

I think Beckham is [CENSORED].

Damn. Now even the word censored is censored.



or is it?


Da dummmmm.

[Smalltown Mike]

I think Beckham is [CENSORED].

In fact, I think everything is dreamy. I read about on wikipedia.

[Leaf]

I think Beckham is [CENSORED].

In fact, I think everything is [CENSORED]. I read about on [CENSORED].