Friday, January 12, 2007

Coming To America


I rarely watch soccer, or international football. I watch it for a month at a time, every four years for the World Cup. I could probably name 15 players, worldwide, total. I live in a city with the MLS champion Houston Dynamo, and couldn't name anyone who plays for them.

I know who David Beckham is, though. He had a movie named after him, Bend It Like Beckham. He has been the most well-known athlete in the world for the past several years. He is married to the former Victoria Adams, also known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls. Until a few months ago, he was the captain of the England national team. He also starred for Manchester United and Real Madrid. He is now coming to America.

Yesterday, Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer for $250 million, including endorsements. Not bad for a guy on the downside of his career. That is double the salary of Alex Rodriguez. And, he gets to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, putting he and his wife close to Hollywood.

MLS expects moves like this to put professional soccer in the mainstream of sports in the United States. Right now, Mexican league games on Spanish-language television get better ratings than MLS.

We'll see what happens.

And I thought MLS stood for Multiple Listing Service..

12 comments:

Zee said...

You thought that about MLS because of your wife's profession, no?

Okay, here's the deal with Becks ... he's done everything he can, why not try to make soccer a little more popular in our fair country. You know me ... I'm a soccer nut. I'm still upset that I had to sell my World Cup tickets back in 94. I love the world cup. I love futbol. And Becks is going to help.

I heard on the Ticket that Adidas was "subsidizing" his salary. I'm okay with that. That could be an interesting thing if it ever transfers over to the NFL or MLB! Also read on some website that he already had a soccer school in LA, so this is not a big jump/adjustment for him.

I hope this helps soccer. I'm not a fan of the MLS normally, but this may help. I know I'd love to see Becks play, even though he's over the hill ... still greatness.

Now, if we can just get the ex-Germany soccer coach, Klinsmann to coach our national team ... maybe we'll have something. He already lives in Cali, by the way.

If we can just get Zidane on FC Dallas ... that would be SWEET!

And, yes, I own Bend it Like Beckham. It's a very good movie!

John said...

I'm glad Becks is coming over. It'll be good for MLS, and good for him, as he'll be making a ton of money without having to carry Real Madrid, Man U, or the English national team on his back. He'll get to live in SoCal year round. It sure beats Madrid, Manchester, London, or most other places he could live. Maybe he and his wife can be in a movie, as well. :-)

And, it's ok if Adidias "subsidizes" his salary. There's no difference between that and Michael Jordan or someone getting a deal with Nike, only the soccer endorsement deal is channeled through the league.

This won't hurt soccer in this country at all. You ask a spare person in this country to name one soccer player, and they'll say Pele. And he played over 30 years ago! Beckham will have the same amount of pull. I think this is a good idea, as long as they don't go crazy spending money on washed-up players.

For some reason, I thought the US had already hired Klinsmann to be the new coach. I hope he takes the job. That would be greatness.

And, I had heard of Multiple Listing Service before MLS became a league. That's why I thought it was a weird abbreviation for a league. Maybe we could call it the American Premier League. :-)

Zee said...

I'm with you. I think the American Premier League would be a much better name. I think the more they make it like European football, the better. That's why FC Dallas is the coolest name out of the MLS.

When I saw the news yesterday on Becks, I asked two of my eighth grade boys if they'd heard of Beckham. Sadly, they had not. I should have asked them if they had heard of Pele ... probably not, though.

Zee said...

Real Madrid's Coach Won't Let Becks Play

David Beckham won't play again for Real Madrid after announcing his departure at the end of the season for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. "He is not going to play any more. He will practice, but he is not going to play," coach Fabio Capello said Saturday at a news conference.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The player's decision is to go to Los Angeles. He has always been a great professional, but a player who has such a major contract with another team ... we cannot count on him," Capello said. "I think one cannot have the same drive if one is already with another team."

John said...

That's pretty cold.

He's still under contract to them until August or whenever, and he could help them. Sounds like they're just holding him to a "non-compete" agreement and making him work for the rest of his contract in a "keep him busy" job.

Maybe there will be one of those infamous "transfer fees". LOL

Zee said...

I was thinking it through and it just doesn't make sense. It's not like he's going to a competing team or something. I would understand if he was going to another team in that league. Not even close.

Any way that the coach was asked to sit him? Maybe Adidas payed for that too? ;) lol

Zee said...

Ut oh.

NY Daily News - This just in!

Scientology's chief cheerleader Tom Cruise helped tempt David Beckham to L.A., fueling speculation the soccer ace and his wife may become the church's next celebrity converts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I talked with [Cruise] for about an hour last night and an hour the night before," Beckham said at a news conference held yesterday to discuss his five-year, $250 million deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"I asked him for his advice. ... He's a very wise man and a very good friend of mine. To have his experience and have him explain some things to me, that's a big favor," Beckham said.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Though the couple has not publicly mentioned the controversial religion, Posh reportedly has accepted church literature from her new friends.

And she is lined up to play an alien bride in "The Thetan," a Cruise-backed movie about an immortal spiritual being Scientologists believe is present in all humans.


Run away!

John said...

Anyone who calls Tom Cruise a very wise man is not very wise himself.

Sounds like a bad situation.

Zee said...

Capello Defends His Decision to Bench Beckham

excerpt:

"It was the technical team, which includes me, my assistant Franco Baldini and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, who took the decision," Capello told a news conference on Sunday.

"If a player has a contract (with another club) it isn't right that you continue to treat him as just another player."

John said...

I guess there's a reason that free agents can only sign after the season. :-) Of course, football and baseball seasons do not overlap with leagues in other countries, as soccer/European football does.

I bet they'd let him out of his contract four months early for a few million euros. :-)

still not liking this association with Tom Cruise....

Zee said...

I don't think anyone likes the link with Tom Cruise. It's scariness.

Also, MLS, stands for Master in Library Science, which is the degree I'm trying to get now and classes start tomorrow. I looked at the syllabus today and I'm already scared! lol

Zee said...

A new story:

How Beckham's impact will compare with Pele's impact

I also heard the coaches of Real Madrid had more to say, but can't find the link now.