Bending Things Beckham’s Way
Bend it like Beckham, the movie title derived from that English striker’s special gift for curling free kicks into the back of goal nets, takes on a whole new meaning as his brief Major League Soccer career appears to be ending.
The unique twist here is that the bright promise David Beckham seemed to represent as a marketing icon for MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy has turned into a cautionary tale that leaves the American soccer league looking distinctly second rate. The Galaxy look as though it was the team taking Beckham on loan in a $25 million five-year deal, rather than AC Milan, which will apparently keep him after his two lackluster seasons in the MLS.
The celebrity striker and his Spice Girl spouse seemed to be in their element when the couple first arrived. But his enthusiasm waned through two injury-plagued campaigns with the Galaxy, and he obviously longed to get back to football as he knew it on the continent.
“I’ve said I want to stay here and obviously if I do go back it will be a bit difficult,” Beckham said after the rousing derby match with arch-rival Inter Milan on Sunday. He said it. Having made his playing preference quite clear, how would the Galaxy have taken any advantage, in terms of competitive posture or marketing, by having him back? How would MLS fans have reacted to Beckham’s implicit putdown of the quality of league play in the U.S.?
The cult of celebrity is an overpowering part of the equation in appealing to fans for teams in any American professional league. That’s particularly true for the MLS, notwithstanding its very healthy ticket sales, because it has so few standouts - particularly established international soccer stars the stature of Beckham. How does the league approach the next big deal that might lure an international soccer icon here? And what guarantee do the fans have that the next major signing won’t be a disppointing replay that reproduces a rebound like Beckham’s brusque turnabout?
