David Beckham: Coming soon to a store near you!
Here’s to hoping that David Beckham is enjoying his first championship with La Liga’s Real Madrid. After 4 years with the Spanish league giants, Beckham leaves on a high note after a tumultuous fourth season with the club. Back in January, he signed a huge $250 million dollar deal with the LA Galaxy after he was told by Real that he was no longer wanted at the club.
In America, Beckham-mania was on. He has been touted as both the savior of the Galaxy and MLS. However, both of these ideas are false.
Once Beckham gets to America, true soccer fans will still be in awe of his ability to cross the ball, his crisp passing, and his excellent free kicks. But to the average viewer, Beckham could just look like another one of those players who isn’t doing anything.
David Beckham is still a world class player, but in a country where more people vote for the next American Idol than for their own President, his celebrity status may end up being his greatest downfall in the long run. The majority of his record contract is advertisement based, and that in itself is the problem.
Beckham should not be a walking billboard. He is a soccer player, and he is here to compete and win with the Galaxy. He hopes to continue to play at a high level, so he can continue playing with the English National Team. Nobody will disagree with the statement that to a certain extent, Beckham probably loves his celebrity status, but he is here to help raise the level of play in MLS and in turn, its level of respect around the world. But chances are, this will not happen.
It is a shame that while he is loved in England for his skills on the pitch, he will be loved in America not for those skills, but for his commercial plugs and his appearances in your local supermarket tabloids. Hopefully this is wrong, but when Paris Hilton’s trial and sentencing is the top story of the day, one can only assume the worst.
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You’re severely underestimating the ability of the British media to turn players into Paris Hilton-like phenomenons.
Case in point - Wayne Rooney. Ok, maybe that’s a bad example
Brian, i think if there is anyone that can turn the average viewer into a bit of a football savvy viewer, its Beckham. I do agree that the average Joe Shmoe will turn on the TV to see the guy he saw in the sunglasses or the perfume advert, he will stay because little by little he will begin to understand the game. I do understand your concern about the average viewer not being able to comprehend playmaking in soccer but i think along with good commentating and ESPN that will change. Let us not forget that Beck is able to pull of some amazing shots and free kicks, and i think he will score more often than not in the MLS, i think even as a midfielder his finishing is better than most strikers in the League, those will definitely make the highlight reel week-in week-out. I believe that Beckham is the beginning of another era in US Soccer.
The thing is, everyone in the U.S will be able to see that Mr.Beckham is a fantastic ‘Soccer’ player (excuse my using that hideous word). He will be playing in a team of players who at best might just make the first team of a Championship side, which will enhance Beckhams ability to the fans who dont follow the game so much and are just there to see the man on the billboards.
But the problem Beckham has is his contract. $250 million? for that amount of money the American audience is expecting him to ’score hat-tricks every game’(that is actually a quote from a American sports writer). They believe Becks is a player of Pele proportions, which he is not.
I agree with Jade 100% that if anyone is going to turn the U.S head towards the real Football, its Beckham. I just hope for his sake he manages to live upto thier expectations…..
I think anyone who believes that Beckham playing for LA Galaxy will raise the profile of MLS and suddenly make the rest of the world take notice of the American league is seriously deluding themselves.This same rectoric has been used so often in the past, and often on players better than Beckham.Beckenbauer,Pele,George Best etc etc and nothing has changed the profile of MLS.People should just accept that in America American football,Baseball and Basketball are the top tier sports and Soccer (hate that term too) will always be a lesser sport.Beckham will no doubt raise his own profile in America and that is probably his aim more than anything else not that I blame for that it’ll probably make him the 1st footballing billionaire.
i wish the real madrid dont leave beckham go to la galaxy
even if real madrid is suposed to pay for la galaxy 50 m
Wow. What a tremendously insulting article. You grossly underestimate the soccer intelligence of the soccer community here in the US. We recognize that in DB we have a true gem coming to the MLS. As a NY Red Bull fan I can’t wait to see him play. So what if most of his compensation is advertising based? Professional athletes in the US are frequently involved in sneaker deals, clothes deals, etc. I actually prefer that to those ridiculous sponsor logos on the front of soccer jerseys. DB is a professional who wants to win, no matter who he is playing for. That’s what we care about…and I’m not even a Galaxy fan.
As for soccer being a “lesser” sport in the US, so what? We’re a big enough country to support the MLS, even if it isn’t on the same scale as the other sports (wither hockey?). Why does the MLS have to be on par with baseball or basketball for it to be a success? If anything, I don’t want the MLS to become MLB or the NFL or the NBA. That only brings high ticket prices and tons of empty seats. If the MLS can be a ~20 team league with average attendances in the 15-20000 range and a USL league with attendances in the 3-5,000 range, then we have a successful soccer league in the US. Add relegation to that mix and you’ll have a tremendously exciting soccer league. Beckham and other players from around the World are another step in this evolution.
If anything I think Becks will probably appeal more to women in the US. The game is probably played by more women than men in th US, but maybe some younger kids will get sucked in for the future. I suppose we don’t need fat slob americans in Football, just their money, and its the women and kids that spend a mans money!
You missed my point. My point is that the average soccer fan will see that 250 mil and expect the greatest player on Earth and Beckham is not that. I live in the US, I’m a part of the same community that you are, and I understand what it means to be insulted by “Eurosnobs” and people like that. But if you take a step back and look at how Beckham is being percieved by people who have no idea about the game of soccer(football for those who hate the term), you have to agree that they aren’t being drawn in by the player’s skills, but by his celebrity status, and too many people will focus on that instead of what he can do on the pitch.
You missed my point. My point is that the average soccer fan will see that 250 mil and expect the greatest player on Earth and Beckham is not that. I live in the US, I’m a part of the same community that you are, and I understand what it means to be insulted by “Eurosnobs” and people like that. But if you take a step back and look at how Beckham is being perceived by people who have no idea about the game of soccer(football for those who hate the term), you have to agree that they aren’t being drawn in by the player’s skills, but by his celebrity status, and too many people will focus on that instead of what he can do on the pitch.
Beckham always has been and always will be overrated. Ever since the goal that he scored against Wimbledon from the halfway line he has been billed as a footballing god when at best he may slip in to the top 20 bracket in the worlds best players(and that’s generous). I’m no fan of Xabi Alonso but he scored from the halfway line twice in one season, he is probably about as good at passing and like Beckham he is quite slow, so why isn’t he put in the same bracket as Beckham? One it’s because he is Spanish and not English. The English media have a habit of hyping up their player’s to the point that people believe that they are better than they are and at the World Cup after month of build up and the media saying that England will win it they looked average at best.
Marty- Get your facts straight, Der Kaizer and Pele played in the now defunct North American Soccer League. MLS was founded after the 1994 World Cup. Besides neither of them (although football legends) have the Hollywood-type stardom and persona of Beck thats why he is pefrect for the job.
Soccer has done nothing but grow over the last decades in the US. Anyone that thinks otherwise would be seriously deluding himself . Most of the Americans i know are intrigued by the game even though they don’t get it: they want to know what the fuss is all about and they want to understand the game and get exited about it.
However, Beck is but one of the pieces of the puzzle if the US wants to be a footballing powerhouse. He will indeed make the league more appealing, get more crowds in, but that needs to be coupled with attracting more world class players to go to the States. That would raise the level of the league little by little and de facto raise the level of US Soccer as a whole.
Next should come an achievement by the US national national team to keep the buzz. A Copa América should do it, it is feasible; if Greece can win the Euro, the US can definitely win the Copa .
The US also needs it own hero, which they do not have at the moment, a prodigy, their Ronny or Rooney (Not sure if Adu is that hero though). If they want to have that player they need to seriously invest in top-notch world class coaching and scouting.
Through that the MLS should develop the ability to attract more young South American players. The Americas are filled with potentials stars and the US should be able to scout those stars and develop them. Also I think the MLS should work to get more and more Latin, African and Asian players because that will create the hardcore fan base for the game as the minorities that are from the above mentioned descent are more apt than the average WASP apprehend the game and become such a fan.
That will allow “Soccer” as you call it should also take its place as a street sport and not just an “extracurricular activity” which will make kids wanna play it more and more and in the next 10-20 years or so make the US a footballing giant
Will Beckham single-handedly revolutionize the MLS and propel them into a world-class league? NO.
However, recent stars like Claudio Reyna, and especially Juan Pablo Angel have begun to increase the buzz around the MLS, and by coming to the US from Premiership teams makes the MLS more appealing to players. Shevchenko has already stated he would like to play in the MLS some day, and Ronaldo considered an offer. Angel’s early success shows players they can get some recognition and appreciation playing in the MLS, and slowly but surely it will become a more attractive option.
Wrong. He is a ‘Football’ player not a ‘Soccer’ player. If your going to use our language then stick to our rules, lol.
Brian,
I agree completely with NYSpursFan. What an insulting article. I don’t come to SoccerLens to read about American Idol, Paris Hilton or what the celebrity impact of Becks will be. I come here to read well written articles about football. I come here for the transfer rumors, the revealing of new kits, all the stuff about football.
To me, this sort of article is written from the Ultra/Elite perspective of those folks who were there before the MLS, before the World Cup, before (insert big name league here)… If we are to grow football in America its not going to be by nit-picking celebrity status.
Please, everyone, let’s ***REFRAIN*** from writing any more of these and accept the newcomers with open arms. Becks and the likes are the reason they come out for a match. As someone I know said, “Once they’re here, it’s our responsibility to show them a good time.”
PS - as an aside I am VERY grateful for the signing of Becks. It allows my fiancee - who didn’t care about football other than to watch him run around, until just recently - and others like her to get into the beautiful game. Cheers to Alexi and the gent from Qwest! To the rest of the league - keep the stars comin’!
PPS - One note I heard that I highly agree with is that MLS and football in America will have arrived when we finally have that first homegrown star (ala Rooney, Raul, or any host of footballers). Spot on with the assessment!
koolkeith- get with the programme, as far as I can tell this place isn’t strictly for transfer news, so Brian is more than welcome to express his views. Also, Brian makes some valid points in his piece so good on him. And you don’t mind celebrity you say? Remember Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer et al? Remember the NASL? Learning from that era will ensure that the MLS isn’t remembered, it sticks around, here and now kinda thing- so you call it ‘nit-picking celebrity’, I call it reality bites.
And what is with hating the term soccer?? The English can’t claim ownership of the game, hell look not far back into history and realise that the game was being played, albeit in slightly more exotic versions, in Eastern parts of the old world.. snobbery- and I’ve gota bang on about it again, koolkeith, crap request in asking for just transfer news on this site- football’s not just about the money or the new signing, it’s about the home-grown, academy talent, the sunday league team and 5 a side rules footy and the good old kickabout- by wanting just transfer news on this site you’ve exposed yourself as just another little old sheep… DISCUSS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH FOOTY HERE, NOT JUST TRANSFER NEWS!!!!!
First off, I’m not a part of that Ultra/Elite perspective. I’m a new fan, and I’ve only been watching soccer for a year. I never ever said that I did not want Beckham to come to MLS. I love the fact that he is coming. My concern is that people are only concerned with Beckham because of his celebrity and not because of his skills on the pitch. I don’t get what people are missing about that.
I’m American dude, lol. I grew up calling it soccer, I’m sorry its just what I’m used to.
Danny,
You Brits starting calling it soccer, as an abbreviation for Association Football. Therefore, us Yanks are indeed playing by “your” rules.
Secondly, Beckham’s contract is NOT $250 million. It’s $5.5 million/year for 5 years. The $250 million figure was thrown out there and way over-hyped by the media. That is simply the maximum he can make if all endorsement deals are exercised.
this has been tried before both pele and lothur mutais(apologies to german fans not sure how to spell his name)went to america on a quest to raise the profile of football in america and failed.one player will not transform a sub standard competition.the talk coming out of america claiming they can compete with the premiership is just plain bollocks
@Marty,
Soccer can become a major sport in this country. There was always the big 4: American football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Well hockey is quickly losing steam and a large part of its fanbase. I think soccer can fill the void that hockey will leave. Secondly, Best and Pele and the rest played in the NASL, not the MLS.
@NYSpursFan,
The article wasn’t insulting at all. He didn’t say that the soccer community U.S. was unintelligent. That wouldn’t make any sense, since he’s a part of the soccer community in the U.S. What he said was completely true. As an MLS fan myself, I know that the passionate fans and those that pay attention to the sport all over the world, will recognize how great a player he is. But others will look at him as a celebrity symbol for the sport, and not for his actual playing ability, whether it is good or bad. This happens in all sports markets in America. Just look at what happened with Daisuke Matsuka (sp?). All of that media hype, and the second he didn’t deliver, he was just dismissed as overpriced and not good enough, even though he hasn’t even had time to adjust to the league yet. And since Beckham doesn’t have amazing stats, a section of the sporting community will write him off as a waste of time and money. Deal with it.
@Danny,
First off sweet name. Secondly, your on a site called SOCCERlens, not FOOTBALLlens. Wouldn’t soccer be more appropriate? Thirdly, wasnt the term soccer coined by the English? I believe it started at Oxford.
@koolkeith13,
see above. Also, I don’t care what you come here to read. If you clicked on it, you chose to read it. If you didn’t want to, you could have just passed by. Also, your not the only one who started with MLS and am still a fan. I agree with Brian, does that make me an Elitist too, because my opinion differs from yours?
PEACE OUT HOMIES
Brian,
I dont think it matters if you insulted both koolkeith and NYSpursFan. Since soccerlens is here for people to voice their opinions about football (or soccer). So for them to get insulted, tough luck. I agree with you Brian that most people will go to LA galaxy games because of beckham’s celebrity status. BUT there are some of us who will watch it because we know that Beckham is a quality player and will enjoy watching him play in the MLS.
Also, everyone has to remember is that Becks, will play to the best of his ability and give 100% to LA Galaxy, we’ve seen it countless of times for ManU and also Real Madrid. His celebrity status and his paycheck is irrelevant when it comes to the football field.
‘Also, everyone has to remember is that Becks, will play to the best of his ability and give 100% to LA Galaxy, we’ve seen it countless of times for ManU and also Real Madrid. His celebrity status and his paycheck is irrelevant when it comes to the football field.’
QFT..well said.
Soccer is just wrong..how did the name come up?? why dont u call ur american football soccer and leave our football as football??
Soccer is an British term folks, stop hating “those damn yanks”, here are some copy pasted stuff off of Wikipedia for you to get a clearer picture:
The rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863, and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby football.
The term soccer first appeared in the 1880s as a slang abbreviation of Association football, credited to Charles Wreford-Brown, an Oxford student said to have been fond of shortened forms such as brekkers for breakfast and rugger for rugby football. During the late 19th century the word soccer tended to be used only at British independent schools; even in the UK, most people knew the game simply as football.
Football became more commonly known as soccer in certain English-speaking nations where the word “football” refers to a rival code of football, in most cases a derivate of rugby football, developed within that nation, specifically Australia, Canada, the United States, and parts of Ireland.
It’s not such a big deal, lets not make a deal every time someone uses it; we’re all talking about the same game here.
There’s no doubt football will become the main sport in the USA one day wheher they like it or not!!
Beckham will do his bit towards that, I don’t know who the biggest sports person is in the USA at the moment. I think they are on a bit of a slump with sports stars at the moment. I think Becks has chose the right time, there’s only Tiger who I would say has world-wide superstar status at the moment. No big boxers, Basketballers, 100m sprinters, we’ll not like the old days (Tyson/Holyfield, Carl Lewis, Micheal Johnson) usure about NFL and baseball though.
In terms of marketing the MLS he’ll be good because just think people from other parts of the world if not the US will tune in to see how he’s doing.
Hopefully some other big players will join the band wagon, maybe Zidane, Carlos?
at the end of the day the MLS is an absoulute pile of shite, its mickey mouse football. Beck’s knows he had made a mistake but hes a loyal bloke so hes going to stick to his word and go to LA. However he will transform the league and attract bigger names to go over and play, but no matter how hard you try you can’t polish a turd. What a waste of a true England great.
srizzel, you’re complaining when the name of the site is called soccerlens.com - how ironic? Btw, there are many countries that call it soccer…
I don’t think “soccer” will ever become the main sport in the USA. Can it become one of the big four? Heck yes, and I look forward to that day.
Brian et. al,
Thanks for getting back to both Spurs and myself. Second, thanks to everyone who responded.
My comments were not worded right, but I am still trying to figure out how to put this: essentially I want to grow soccer (props to Jade for getting all academic) here in my city and in the States and I think that the existing community needs to be as inviting as we possibly can be. So, it’s with that in mind that I wrote the comments about the article. I think we need to be very careful about (and it’s hard to find the right word here) poking fun at the fringe crowd who admire soccer players for their celebrity. Yes, after reading the follow-ups I realize that Brian is writing about it because he has a genuine concern. He’s not trying to be malicious. So, Brian, I am sorry for misinterpreting your article. Keep up the good work.
Zamunda - I’m not here for just transfer news. I am here because I really desire to grow the soccer community in Seattle and the northwest states first and because I want to grow the community in the states overall. Sorry to repeat myself, but this is a big issue that I’ve been weighing lately: “How do we include more people into our community and make an envrionment where they will show up and want to return.” Also, I was born in 1982 so my first real soccer memories (other than playing all my life) were of World Cup 1994. I don’t have a frame of reference for the NASL, sorry.
dmiedzinski and Magic - You both made me realize that I didn’t articulate as well as I wanted to. Thanks for that. I think the bulk of my comments above apply to you as well.
Final Thought: Overall my message is that we need to be careful and inclusive in order for American soccer to be truly great. If we keep that in mind we will be there. We will.
See you pitchside gents!
Good God! I just noticed how many typos I made in my comments
I agre with Brian Lomax soccer will never be the main sport of the US but beckham could definetly help put it in the top 4. What is wrong with america is they dont understand the game.
Americans enjoy games that we either created or perfected. Baseball and Basketball for obvious reasons, American Football is the nations number 1 sport, and no one else in the world cares about it. Unfortunately the majority of the US do not like change, or something that we are not “world class” in, such as soccer. It’s a foreign game to the masses, and Beckham has the ability to make it more mainstream. It will never top baseball, basketball or American Football, however it has surpassed hockey and will continue to grow. But it will cap out eventually. Good Luck DB and the MLS, I’m excited to watch more of the beautiful game on TV.