People News
David Beckham's mandate: Get USA to care about soccer
By Stone Martindale Jan 12, 2007, 15:32 GMT
David Beckham smiles during a training session at Real Madrid\'s training base in Valdebebas, near Madrid, January 12, 2007, a day after agreeing to sign a five-year deal with MLS side LA Galaxy worth a reported $250 million. REUTERS/Victor Fraile
David Beckham's monster deal inked for a quarter of a billion dollars has people talking, but not really about the game of soccer. The talk seems to be why is he getting such a payday for a sport the majority Americans disregard?
Many sports analysts and commentators in US media say Beckham's impact on American soccer is overly optimistic.
There is speculation in various sports blogs and chat rooms that initially, the handsome footballer will draw curious to the stands, but the longevity of American interest is debatable.
There is also the blogger world's discussion of Beck's voice, many assume his move is to be advantageously placed near the Hollywood scene for a potential acting career, but Americans were shocked to hear how tinny his voice sounds, as many had never heard him speak before his televised interviews splashed over the news yesterday. He is no Sean Connery, for sure.
Many are speculating that when people realize that soccer with Beckham really isn't all that different than soccer without Beckham, they'll go elsewhere.
Unfortunately for MLS, the king of American sports, the NFL, runs nearly parallel with the MLS season. The biggest problem MLS faces in North America is the number of larger, established professional sports leagues: NFL, NASCAR, NBA, MLB and the revitalized NHL.
Despite the hoopla around the recent FIFA playoffs, soccer is still a niche sport in North America.
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Older Talkback
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The real reason the professional sport (lots of amateurs play) has not caught on in the US is the abysmal television production of it. The American producers clearly don't understand the game and are completely unable to bring it to the screen in a meaningful way.
To be specific, they do not understand that the game of soccer is mostly played where the ball isn't. In this respect it is more like Basketball. American produced soccer is too imbued with an American football mentality of following the ball rather than looking at the position of the players able to receive a pass. Therefore, there are too many close up shots of ball handling and too many close up shots catering to individual player worship, and too few shots of the game as it is being played.
This leaves the knowledgeable viewers cursing the producer for his idiocy in selecting camera shots, and non-knowledgeable viewers mystified about the whole game.
I love to watch soccer on TV. But if its American produced, I turn it off. It just isn't worth watching.
Fast moving? Sometimes. Exciting? Rarely. Soccer will never become in the US what it is in the rest of the world for one simple reason: scoring. 'Chick's dig the long ball' was a genius marketing campaign for a reason, it was true. Of course, guys like HR's as well. And TD's, and goals and slam dunks. American's want instant gratification, and you don't get that in soccer without a shoot out. People are just as likely to turn off a 1-0 soccer game as a 1-0 baseball game. We can't handle it with our attention spans. Having played soccer in HS, I know this, because I can't stand to sit there and watch a soccer game on tv. They may get some of their money back, and maybe even all of it. But, soccer will never catch on in the US like the NFL, or even baseball because not enough happens to keep us interested other than the occasional highlight.
I think what deters people, especially when watching World Cup play, is the imaginary injuries that make the sport ridiculous. I played soccer as a kid and was significantly better skilled at it than other sports; however, the faking/acting that comes into play makes a mockery of the sport as compared to MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA (basketball is not that far ahead of soccer...alot of faking in that sport too).
Beckham will never 'Get the USA to care about soccer.' Even in Europe, Beckham is no longer a force on the soccer field, but rather more of a media event. The Beckham’s will undeniably compete with Paris Hilton and the likes for airtime, but will most certainly add little to the appeal of soccer in the U.S.
Appears Mr. Beckham hit the lottery without even purchasing a ticket. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely the 'Gretzky Effect' will take place for Soccer/Football in the U.S. like it did for the NHL. If Pele' could not get and keep the masses excited in this country, Beckham certainly will not get it done.
Just another example of another team owner, with too much time and money on their hands, deciding to waste a little pocket change.
I wanna see him in Hollywoold acting with Paris. haha (^0^)
Soccer is for those who cannot play Baseball 'America's pasttime' Young or old soccer players in the US are ridiculed which is why the networks don't cover it. Watching soccer although fast paced produces a very boring result. est suited for the Europeans. My prediction for Soccer and Beckam is it will tank in the US. Try Mexico it's close enough
What Beckham CAN do for soccer in the states is to make it cool. He can make the bending free-kick cooler than the dunk and he can make A-list celebs buy LA alaxy tickets (I hear Brad Pitt's son is signed up for Beckham soccer lessons). If soccer is cool, and get press (through celebrity channels or otherwise), it will become relevent to american society, the end. There is no shortage of soccer playing kids in the states and all it would take is for one generation of kids that don't drop it when they turn 12 to make it 'stick.' That's what Beckham has to do, and that is what he has already said he wants to do: keep kids from dropping the sport. Easier said than done obviously but not as long of a shot as people think.
Mexico is HERE. Try going to a 'Chivas USA' or 'Real Salt Lake' match if you have any doubt of that.
Soccer is boring, but baseball isn't? Get real.
Soccor cannot compete with football. It's not because of American TV. Most of what we've seen is from England, friend. I also played it as a kid, and watched it while trapped at a private boarding school, long before any public high schools had it, and it was boring to watch in person. Why is it boring to us, and not to Englishmen? Because we already have a superior spectators sport; football. You can't expect us to eat a bunch of hotdogs and fries and then think you can make us eat fish and chips just because some foreign pretty-boy is serving the fish. Women are not going to start watching soccor, either. They like soap operas. Put your money there. Half the guys where I'm from don't even watch baseball or basketball, so someone is a total fool if they think this guy will make soccor big here.
I never understood the argument that football (soccer) is boring because it has low scores! Are you kidding me?? I lived in the U.S. for 5 years and could not believe how extremely loooooong and boring American football and baseball were. OMG -- it is unbelievable! YAWN
With football (soccer) you are sitting on the edge of your chair because action is going on ALL THE TIME!
Get a grip! The WHOLE WORLD LOVES FOOTBALL and there is a reason for it! You Americans are the odd ones out!
Beckham will be a star -- in Hollywood. I don't like soccer. It's my choice. I don't like NASCAR either, but at least the Southern goobers don't try to convert me by calling me ignorant.
For true enthusiasts of the game we call soccer, the goals are merely secondary. The build-up and the combination play that causes the goal are what is really exciting. For the attention deficit, maybe we should change each goal value to equal 7 pts or higher. I'm neither a Nascar fan, but to watch a race for the crash and to see who crosses the finish line at the end seems a bit shallow-sighted. Because the real fun is watching the strategy and jockeying of the cars and the pit teams during the race.
Much like chess, a good soccer team will move in a fluid motion as they move the ball forward and around they're opposing teams. This is what american soccer lacks. If you watch current MLS players, they receive the ball and think to pass as secondary.
Americans are great technically but lack the off-the ball creativity common to the south Americans and Europeans. Compare the rest of the world in basketball and compare our NBA players. Same thing. Very good technically(world) but lack the build up and style that Americans seem to do with the ball that make the game exciting.
I applaud the MLS for trying, however 250mil over 5 years? Sorta tough to put a price tag that high on any athlete but then again, the MLS is only responsible for a small fraction of that salary and the remainder is supported by sponsors.
Hopefully, more players will come over before they peak and make the league exciting. Look at the business model of Barclay's English premier league. Great competition and great marketing/sport coverage.
For my fellow Yanks who don't really know who this Beckham guy is, remember Kris Benson? He used to pitch for the Mets, but he really wasn't that good. The only time he ever got in the news was because of his underwear model wife, Anna. That's sort of like who this Beckham guy is.
Dear Becks,
Don't let the haters in this here talkback get you down, we are so psyched you are coming to Los Angeles, I think you know I have two boys, little SP and Jaydie-well they are set to hang out with y'alls boys Pablo Cruz, Romeo and Yonkers..Anyways, my point being is..
a) Los Angeles has lots of open available empty soccer fields where you can practice
2.) your fragrance, the smell of Beckham's balls or whatever you called it, will totally sell out at this here store Kitson where we all shop for our bling thingsand
ergo) your wife Poshey can check out In n Out burger and get cured from her annie rexia..so psyched y'all are coming,
please lets go party at club HydexoxoBritBrit..(I'm real busy recording with that Storchey guy who wears Nicole Ritchie's sunglasses-but I WILL make time for y'all!!)
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RichJan 12th, 2007 - 16:39:43
My two boys are both involved in a soccer program at their school and really love the sport, even more so than baseball, football, or basketball. I would hope that Americans wake up to the fact that soccer is a wonderful fast moving sport that requires real skill and is very exciting to watch. Perhaps Beckham's move to America will give North American soccer the shot in the arm it needs, sort of like what Lance Armstrong did for cycling or Tiger Woods did for golf. I certainly be watching his career with interest.
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