Beckhammania

Since David Beckham decided to leave the European soccer scene and join the LA Galaxy here in the US, I have been asked by several people how I feel his impact will be. Well, since the Beckham area has begun in the MLS, I think it is time for an update on how I think Beckhammania will impact the beautiful game here in the United States.

For starters Beckham brings a ton of publicity to a sport that is last in the minds of Americans, even behind hockey. Though the Gold Cup final between the US and Mexico had higher ratings than the NHL Finals, and the game was only shown on Fox Soccer Channel (Which you have to pay for) and Univision (Which is on basic). The NHL Finals were on a network that everyone gets that shall remain nameless. Anyway with this publicity comes awareness, and since it is a slow sports time in America, it is a prime spot for Beckham to gain the interest of the American public.

Unfortunately for the MLS and Beckham, he is not a scorer, and Americans like to see high scoring games or flare. Aside from free kicks Beckham is not flashy by any means. He will play well and will bring credit to a league that has been viewed upon many as a "Mickey Mouse" league. Hopefully as well he will bring other international stars to the league and maybe we'll see a more continuous version of the NY Cosmos, when they had Pele', Beckenbauer and Best. The US was fascinated by the high scores and the talent on the field. We will never see another NY Cosmo's effect, but Beckham has the US soccer community excited that this might be our time to shine in a market that is dominated by American Football and Basketball.

One other thing that everyone tends to forget about with soccer is our increasing latino community, which their number one sport is soccer. If Beckham can bring them around, then there will be more money in the league, and it will attract more players. Overall I think it looks good for the MLS, but everything must go well in order for them to grow in a market that wants nothing to do with change. Good Luck Beckham, it's a daunting task.