The Beginning

So Dave Beckham and family are on their way to loverly Southern California. And the majority of those in the sports community seem to think that little will change for Americans and their relationship with soccer. I don't ALWAYS like to be a contrarian, but I think this is going to be the start of soccer's emergence as our fifth major sport (I only count team sports, and yes, I count hockey, I'm from Michigan, for crying out loud).

Beckham is the one soccer player that every American has heard of. My in-laws, who live outside Philadelphia, where soccer, competitive logging, and jai alai are all equally popular, know Beckham. Pele was a soccer player. Beckham is a legitimate celebrity. People would watch him go grocery shopping. Unlike Pele, he isn't at the tail end of his career, showing up, playing great against horrid competition, and cashing checks. MLS is about 30 steps above NASL. He speaks fluent English, which is a factor I haven't heard anyone mention. This makes a HUGE difference. In 1975, networks weren't exactly scrambling to interview people the majority of their viewers wouldn't be able to understand. No such fears this time. Pele also was not married to a famous person. He was widely viewed as arrogant and self-promoting, and still has that reputation. Beckham is just Beckham, and hey, is that a Cherry Pepsi he's got in his hand? Make sure to pick up some of that on your way home.

So what could go wrong here? Well, see, Beckham isn't going to score a ton of goals. To Americans, this is ultimately the mark of a star athlete. You throw 25 touchdown passes if you're a good football player. You average 25 points per game in basketball. You hit 30 home runs. You score 40 goals in hockey. ESPN is planning to have 19 cameras in use when LA Galaxy play Chelsea in Beckham's Galaxy debut July 17. One will be focused on Dave the whole night. As a soccer fan, this is simultaneously the best and worst idea ever. He might not do a lot in the game. But for more serious fans, it will be a unique opportunity to focus on one player and all the precision that goes into his game plan. But again, he probably won't score. Which will lead to his being dubbed a flop and a failure. But Beckham can take it. He's staying here. This is the coup MLS needed to become legit, and I think America is ready.