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SmackDaddy
5 Votes
62%
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Let’s establish one thing- I’m a huge David Beckham fan. Having lived in London for years, I’ve had the privilege of watching him play in person and develop. Few Americans understand this man outside of the images in the media which portray him as a pretty-boy “soccer” player moving to LA to mix it up with TomKat.
Message to USA: David Beckham IS the real deal. He’s a brilliant footballer who, despite growing up in a modest upbringing, through hard work and dedication developed as one of the finest players of his generation. Let it also be noted that he is well known in Europe as a proud and doting husband/father who lives a clean lifestyle. Despite living under the spotlight of the UK media, nothing bad has ever substantially been said about him (and not for a lack of trying).
Unfortunately, I believe that the Galaxy’s enormous financial gamble with this great man will not pay off. The fact that is contract is tied to endorsements and naming rights which results in his massive earnings not being directly linked to the Galaxy is lost to many. But despite that, too much is being invested in him. Here’s why:
- Beckham is on the way out. Unfortunately, in football terms, he is in the twilight of his career. That is nothing new, mind you; LA know that. And at the end of the day, a 20% fit Beckham is better than 95% of MLS-ers seven days to Sunday. But that still won’t be enough. He hasn’t had significant match play for nearly a year and in light of his Galaxy contract, he’s been effectively benched by his current club for the remainder of the season. The few minutes he has played have been interrupted by injury. He just doesn’t have enough left to make an on-field impact.
- In LA, his fame will overshadow his playing abilities. His wife is rich and famous… and she was before she met him. The two, as a couple, are exponentially famous. As a result, the public will be more concerned about his off-field movements (“where did they buy their house?”) versus his on-field play (“who is playing stopper behind ‘Becks’?”). That fact is one that differentiates American sports from European. Of course extra tickets will sell, but after his playing debut roles out as the top story on SportsCenter, all further Beckham matches will be relegated to the last 60 seconds after Play Of The Day.
- The sad reality is that Americans just don’t like soccer and they probably never will. I know… “tell me something I don’t know” you’re saying. Force feeding soccer to the US hasn’t worked- the World Cup didn’t do it, MLS helped (admirably), but still isn’t winning enough hearts, and unfortunately David Beckham, alone, cannot do it.
If you can, go watch him play- he is worth the price of admission. He’s borne the weight of English soccer on his shoulders, which is far more than he’ll ever bear for the Galaxy. But unfortunately, this move will not pay off.
