The Beckham Debut
Today David Beckham made his MLS debut in front of a cheering crowd in our nation's capitol. Despite his magic touch and fame power, the LA Galaxy fell to DC United 1-0 in what proved to be a pretty good game.
As a consistent fan of MLS, I'm both happy and annoyed at the effect Beckham has had on the sport in the United States. Galaxy's current road tour around the country was planned specifically in order to maximize David's star power. Ticket sales jumped by over 15% in most locations, sometimes surprisingly more. It was clear the 40k+ fans at RFK stadium this evening, who stayed despite the downpour in the second half, were entranced by the possibility of witnessing Beckham's magic touch. Not since Pele came to play with the Cosmos has US soccer witnessed such star power.
People who were not interested in soccer have started to take notice. MLS has become probably the fourth or fifth most popular major sports league in the US (certainly behind football, basketball, and baseball -- and although i have no data to back this up, i'd guess it's about tied with the nhl). I've always enjoyed soccer, both as a player and fan, and it's great to see so many others learning the joy of the sport. In addition, I'm sure the extra ticket sales are bringing in more money to the MLS that they can use to promote the sport nationally. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, younger kids are getting more involved in soccer. I can't wait for the day when a "Bend it like Beckham" movie comes out in the US to popular acclaim.
Compared to these benefits, my personal annoyance is somewhat trivial. Nevertheless, I'd be less than honest if I didn't mention my profound disgust at the "Beckham Cam" on ESPN2 this evening. I really don't need to see a picture of him sitting on the sidelines watching the game for 20 minutes. Not only does that take up half my screen so I can't really see the soccer game (which of course is a sideshow compared to the Beckham drama), but that means that the commentators can't stop talking about him even if they wanted to (which is debatable).
None of this should be taken as a personal slight against David himself. I don't know the man. Further, I think he's shown strength of character in remaining on the sidelines in recent games when the pressure for him to play must have been enormous, and he's done so without talking trash and always supporting his team. After the game today, he was less concerned about his performance and more concerned about the team's loss. And that's the way it should be.
Today David Beckham made his MLS debut in front of a cheering crowd in our nation's capitol. Despite his magic touch and fame power, the LA Galaxy fell to DC United 1-0 in what proved to be a pretty good game.
As a consistent fan of MLS, I'm both happy and annoyed at the effect Beckham has had on the sport in the United States. Galaxy's current road tour around the country was planned specifically in order to maximize David's star power. Ticket sales jumped by over 15% in most locations, sometimes surprisingly more. It was clear the 40k+ fans at RFK stadium this evening, who stayed despite the downpour in the second half, were entranced by the possibility of witnessing Beckham's magic touch. Not since Pele came to play with the Cosmos has US soccer witnessed such star power.
People who were not interested in soccer have started to take notice. MLS has become probably the fourth or fifth most popular major sports league in the US (certainly behind football, basketball, and baseball -- and although i have no data to back this up, i'd guess it's about tied with the nhl). I've always enjoyed soccer, both as a player and fan, and it's great to see so many others learning the joy of the sport. In addition, I'm sure the extra ticket sales are bringing in more money to the MLS that they can use to promote the sport nationally. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, younger kids are getting more involved in soccer. I can't wait for the day when a "Bend it like Beckham" movie comes out in the US to popular acclaim.
Compared to these benefits, my personal annoyance is somewhat trivial. Nevertheless, I'd be less than honest if I didn't mention my profound disgust at the "Beckham Cam" on ESPN2 this evening. I really don't need to see a picture of him sitting on the sidelines watching the game for 20 minutes. Not only does that take up half my screen so I can't really see the soccer game (which of course is a sideshow compared to the Beckham drama), but that means that the commentators can't stop talking about him even if they wanted to (which is debatable).
None of this should be taken as a personal slight against David himself. I don't know the man. Further, I think he's shown strength of character in remaining on the sidelines in recent games when the pressure for him to play must have been enormous, and he's done so without talking trash and always supporting his team. After the game today, he was less concerned about his performance and more concerned about the team's loss. And that's the way it should be.
posted by slithytoves at 9:23 PM
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