The Great Beckham Debate

Almost every time the Major League Soccer is discussed these days, David Beckham's name is bound to be mentioned. I frequent a lot of websites where this topic is often discussed. While he has his staunch defenders, there are also those who loathe him. People willing to talk MLS and be indifferent to Beckham are few and far in-between, journalists who favor Beckham's arrival are even rarer.

Anti-soccer sentiments among most established American sports journalists are common and unsurprising, what I find startling is the opposition from American fans of the sport. There are rampant suggestions that he is over-rated, overpaid and past his prime. A large contingent is abhor to the media circus that he follows him, but that is part of the marketing machine that is David Beckham.

The MLS took a big step and an even bigger gamble with him. They should be commended for their commitment to the future. I can't see a better person to banner this project. Sure there are better players than Beckham. Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and Ronaldo were all identified as targets. But those three combined do not have the marketing power that Brand Beckham has. In every country other than the US, maybe.

The claims that he is overpaid can be easily dismissed. So far, he has only played 12 minutes in a friendly but sales of his shirt are astronomical. Factor in the season ticket sales for the Los Angeles Galaxy which are head and shoulders above the previous seasons. So far, the investment has paid off.

When it comes to his skills, he might be past his prime but he is still playing at a high level. He may not have played a big role in the final match that won Real Madrid the La Liga title, but he did in the unbelievable run in the last few months of the season. He even got a well deserved call up to the England squad which sorely missed him. His skills may pale in comparison to Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, et al but his leadership skills were clearly manifested. As far as over-rated goes, people need to realize that he is a player who doesn't have the pace or on-the-ball skills to beat defenders, but he is such an excellent passer and crosser of the ball that he doesn't have to beat them. A few European clubs have expressed their interest hoping that the lure of Champions League will change his mind. Inter Milan and Real Madrid's approaches were quickly rebuffed. The man is still capable of playing top flight football for at least a year (maybe two). Yet he chose the Galaxy. This signals his sincere intentions of trying to improve the status of the league. He deserves to be admired for that choice.

There are constant comparisons to Pele and the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL). Beckham is not as good as Pele, they say. True, but they also fail to mention that Pele at that stage of his career was nowhere near the form that could earn him a spot in the Brazil squad. He was retired! The Galaxy will fold like the Cosmos, they continue. No, they won't. There are measures to prevent it such as the designated player rule or as it is more popularly called the Beckham Rule. There is also a TV deal in place which the NASL did not have. Financially, it will not happen. Look at the shirt sales.

I used to associate these fans to be part of a group labeled as Euro-snobs. These are the fans who support clubs from Europe and could not care less about the MLS. Their main statement is that "the football is not good enough." I do not disagree, but I would like to see it improve and thus I continue to support it. These fans, I'm not worried about. What worries me is the alarming number of MLS fans who want David Beckham to falter . It is appalling as they go out of their way to announce their disgust. The MLS has invested a lot in him, for him to fail would mean failure for the league.

These fans claim that they do not want these new uninformed fans. They've called them fan-girls and trendy fans. They claim that these fans could damage the sport. How much harm can pumping money into the league cause? We already have to contend with soccer haters such as Jim Rome, opposition coming from soccer fans is not helping the MLS or US Soccer.

Xenophobia and envy might be a big factor as Bryant Gumbel suggested in HBO's Real Sports. I think he captured the essence of this debate. I don't think that much soccer sense has been cramped into a little over a minute. To Bryant Gumbel, thank you.