David Beckham is supposedly the “face of American soccer.”
Well that’s great, we have an Englishman trying to bring the world’s greatest game across the pond and expand it here in the states.
There is nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with how it is being done.
Just hearing the name “Beckham” makes the crowd at any Major League Soccer stadium go “oooooh” and “aaaaah,” yet remarkably, he’s spent at least half of his L.A. Galaxy time on the bench, mainly due to injury.
I want to watch some soccer and be amazed by the players’ ability, not Beckham’s actor-like looks.
He’s not exactly cheap to have, either. His weekly salary ranges from $100,000 to $125,000, and that’s whether or not he actually plays.
With Beckham being paid that much, the fans should be able to get their money’s worth by watching him play, not seeing him warm the bench.
I’m not blaming him for being injured; some fans are just coming for the wrong reasons.
Only once he shows his true potential as one of the best midfielders on the continent should he truly be viewed as some kind of wonder for promoting soccer in America.
Even Beckham himself was speculative about carrying this sport on his back when he first joined the L.A. Galaxy this year.
“I’m coming there not to be a superstar. I’m coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things,” Beckham said. “With me, it’s about football. I’m coming there to make a difference. I’m coming there to play football…”
I’m not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve.
Baseball, basketball, American football, they’ve been around. But I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could make a difference,” said Beckham, at a press conference via satellite in Spain.
Soccer is a great game, and when played to its greatest possible expectations, there’s nothing that can beat it for the passion, flare and excitement it can bring.
Beckham sat on the bench injured for six weeks; people went just to see him. So how is that for the good of the game?
He hasn’t had the time to prove himself yet. Calling him “the face of American soccer” and hoping he’ll promote soccer in America because of his face instead of his footwork isn’t so much promoting the sport.
Ticket sales and merchandise sales have risen steadily since he’s arrived, but it is hard to say that it was for the betterment of the team or league.
I walk into a Sports Chalet and I look for any new soccer jerseys I can find, maybe they have some European ones that I’m looking for.
I get to the soccer section and all I see is Beckham jerseys. I look around to try and look for Landon Donavan’s jersey and I can’t find it amongst the army of No.23s out there. Hmmmm, that’s interesting. I’m pretty sure that the LA Galaxy has a 25-man squad.
Too much emphasis is being placed on Beckham. He’s already stated that he wants to make a difference, not carry the entire load on his back.
Let him do his talking with his feet, and soon enough we’ll see why the English once called him the “Golden Boy.”
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