David Beckham to MLS...
AS you no doubt have read or heard through any number of media outlets, David Beckham is coming to MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy. I'm not going to go into the effect of the signing on the league and the finances of the deal, there are plenty of places to read opinions on that. As you can imagine I'm thinking of the effect of the signing on the young players in the league and coming into the league in the future.
LA Galaxy players will obviously feel the biggest impact from the signing. David Beckham has been the captain of England so he no doubt has leadership skills. Beckham's professionalism on and off the field will help mold young players into true professionals.
When other teams play LA they are all going to be gunning to beat David Beckham. They are going to elevate their game when marking him. They are going to tackle him that much harder...because he's David Beckham.
Beckham is one of the biggest names in worldwide sports and his entry into MLS brings instant credibility that will be felt by the younger generations. The increased media attention will hit all MLS players, not just Beckham. Hopefully the increased revenue will mean more cash flowing downhill to the younger players. I've said many times that I think MLS needs to be raising the league minimum salary to keep talented youth in the league. Hopefully Beckham's arrival will help spur additional investment in the youth of MLS. An example of what I mean: International television networks are now interested in purchasing the broadcast rights for MLS internationally. That contract will no doubt have a lot of zeros on the end of it and some of that money needs to be reinvested in the league and the youth of the league.
Eighteen months ago American sports fans laughed at the idea of a soccer icon like Beckham signing with MLS. Hell, six months ago they still did. Hopefully this will help bring some American sports fans into the soccer fold so that the worldwide game takes hold in the final soccer frontier.
LA Galaxy players will obviously feel the biggest impact from the signing. David Beckham has been the captain of England so he no doubt has leadership skills. Beckham's professionalism on and off the field will help mold young players into true professionals.
When other teams play LA they are all going to be gunning to beat David Beckham. They are going to elevate their game when marking him. They are going to tackle him that much harder...because he's David Beckham.
Beckham is one of the biggest names in worldwide sports and his entry into MLS brings instant credibility that will be felt by the younger generations. The increased media attention will hit all MLS players, not just Beckham. Hopefully the increased revenue will mean more cash flowing downhill to the younger players. I've said many times that I think MLS needs to be raising the league minimum salary to keep talented youth in the league. Hopefully Beckham's arrival will help spur additional investment in the youth of MLS. An example of what I mean: International television networks are now interested in purchasing the broadcast rights for MLS internationally. That contract will no doubt have a lot of zeros on the end of it and some of that money needs to be reinvested in the league and the youth of the league.
Eighteen months ago American sports fans laughed at the idea of a soccer icon like Beckham signing with MLS. Hell, six months ago they still did. Hopefully this will help bring some American sports fans into the soccer fold so that the worldwide game takes hold in the final soccer frontier.
posted by Bonji at
3:50 PM
2 Comments:
But how big can Beckham be when he's moving to a backwater? For example, Lee Trundle's supposed to be quite the looked and has some skills to boot. Ever hear of him? Hell no, he plays for Swansea.
By
Anonymous, at 5:10 PM
I hope what you're saying is true, that the Beckham move will increase the level of play in MLS. However, my cynical side is reminded of the likes of Pele, Adu, and other much-hyped players, all of whom have yet to bring the money of high level of play to US soccer.
By
Crew Fan, at 8:01 PM
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