Club Arnage

250 million bucks for a soccer player?  WTF?
YEESH!
Fax

$250M for a soccer player who is passed his prime.................even worse!!!!!!!!!!  ::)

Wouldn't you like to be David Beckham at the moment though ! Or any moment for that matter. Or at least for a moment long enough to transfer his money into your account before becoming yourself again. ;D

I am guessing that this isn't about 1 club , and that the US Football league is bank rolling this to try and raise the profile of football in the USA.

To Beckham though, he's milked England, Europe and Japan, so now time to milk the USA.  I wonder if there is enough money for him to milk in Russia when he is done with the USA ?

For all of us who are forty-something, this all sounds very, very familiar.  Anyone remember when a past-his-prime Pele joined the New York Cosmos for big bucks to "raise the profile of soccer in the US"?  The big difference being Pele didn't have a big pile of money when he joined the Cosmos.  How much money does Beckham need?   On second thought, he's got a expensive wife ;)
Hell, for $250,000,000 I could afford to fix my VW Golf's transmission with NEW parts.
Fax

...remember when the NASL (I think that was the leagues name  ???) first started up and contracted the likes of former superstars like Pele, Beckenbauer, etc. They were good drawing cards for awhile but not long, league went belly-up after a bit. I wonder how much influence Mrs. Beckham had on the final decision, as I hear it she has already been searching for a home in the LA area for quite some time. Good luck to the Beckhams, Hollywood is the perfect place for the both of them. 8)

As long as it reduces the amount of column inches he and his dank looking wife spend in the UK press......then it has to be a good thing.

Come on now folks.  £70k a day.  In it for the money?  - you're all being so cynical.........

After all, he says that "soccer is huge all around the workld except in America and that's where I want to make a difference with the kids.  I don't want to go out to America at 34 and people saying 'he's only there to get the money' I want to hopefully build a team that have a lot of potential and that excites me". 

Isn't that nice of him.......so for those across the pond standby for the marketing onslaught of a sport which after a 90-minute game frequently ends up with nobody scoring a goal.....

MG Mark

Maybe so Mark, but it is still infinitely more interesting, skillful and entertaining than the so called football that the Americans have to put up with now.  A bunch of heavily armoured goliaths running into each other and then stopping while the networks run the adverts on the TV.  Pot and kettle when I hear Americans complaining of others doing things for the money.  Looks to me like the whole of American society is designed for exactly that atttitude.  Good luck to him I say.

Tongue in cheek I was - agree with you about the qulaity of the game, even though football isn't my cup of tea - and few of us wouldn't take that sort of opportunity if it was a possibility - imagine being able to buy your average supercar for cash after about 2 or 3 days "work" playing a game.....

MG Mark

Sounds good to me!

I have to say that in money and business terms I think this is a win win win, the club will make and sell shirts and other Becks merchandise, they will profit say about £20.00 per shirt so that means to completely cover their costs on shirt sales alone, they need to sell around 790K shirts over five years. I reckon they could do that in two. The media will be interested, and will pay to show the games, sponsorship will increase across the sport. Interest in the sport of Football (real) in the US will increase and the revenue from that will be huge. Personally I think the whole thing is quite brilliant. The only downside is that in around twenty years time I could imagine the USA winning the World Cup, (for our American friends its a competition held every four years that actually does feature teams from all around world) and us having to play as Europe to stand any chance of winning it back.

Well done Becks, thanks for everything mate and good luck for the future.

Shirts is most certainly a prime consideration for the club.

Other merchandising, not so sure. Whatever you say or think about Beckham, his business advice is pretty sound. He owns the image rights 100%.

Anyway, lets just say any of us were offered the same job we are doing now, but in an arena where it will be alot easier to stand out and all in the last couple of years of our career. And for a lot more money. How many of us would turn it down?

If there is someone daft enough to pay that sort of money, there will certainly be plenty of people happy enough to accept it.

Having been a great servant to his team and country in the past (remember he was the only player trying against Greece in the WC qualifier at Old Trafford), I hope he does well outside of football too.

I think the Brits are a little too quick to dismiss success. Good luck to the bloke. I'm not a particular fan of his, but he has done well for himself and his family. Hopefully, he will avoid ending up like many past footballers; a sorry old soak.

All IMO.

That's exactly 1000 Saleen S7s, Fran.  500 each?

Wow - just think of the huge range of colours and trim that you could dream up with that many......

MG Mark

Fair play to Becks, he's quite a clever lad for a thicko!

But good luck, nobody can tell me seriously that he shouldn't take the money. It's just the terrible prospect of his ghastly wife parading around Hollywood getting "papped"and being in every copy of Hello magazine I pick up. And I'm cancelling my subscription to OK!

"250 million bucks for a soccer player?  WTF?
YEESH!"

Who may possibly earn the club double that in sales and free advertising

How many of you had heard of the club two days ago?
How many kids in Japan and the USA will buy the Beckham shirts etc.

I see the same thing happening with Beckham that happened with Pele. They'll be some interest in the beginning, especially with the LA celeb crowd, just like when Wayne Gretzky signed with the LA Kings, but eventually it'll fade (like that did).  People thought when Pele came here that it would bring soccer to the level of football, baseball, basketball, and hockey...and it never did.
It's still seen as a game played by school kids, and MLS is still a third tier professional sports league in the US.  At the end of the day, as you very well pointed out, its still a game that often ends in a zero-zero score.  That's one of the biggest jokes that comes up when you hear soccer mentioned on sports talk radio.  The TV contract for the NFL is eight BILLION dollars, the TV contract for MLS is eight million.  That'll tell you where soccer rates on the US sporting radar.  The news about his signing so far as been
more about he and his wifes celebrity than his athlectic ability.  Full marks to him for making a buck, but I just don't see it having much impact on the sport here at all.
Fax

Fax - to be honest I don't care either way whether his presence raises the profile of football in the US (what is played in the States is NOT football) or not.  I just find it rather amusing to think a lad from NE London can relieve such a large amount of cash from an American football club.

Bye the way, who is Wayne Gretzky?

Actually Oldtimer it is interesting, we just finished paying back all that money that USA and Canada so kindly leant us (last instalment 31/12/06) while we were struggling, ALONE to overcome the Nazi's and good old Becks has gone in there and taken it all back again in one hit. ;D

Nice one David.

Oldtimer, I find it amusing that a lad from NE London can relieve a American Club of that kind of money.  Actually probably 99% of Americans find it amusing.  Only a team from LaLa Land (or possibly New York) would do something as stupid, hence my title for this thread.
Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest hockey player in history, a native of Toronto, he played for the Edmonton Oilers for years before being traded to the LA Kings in what Canadians saw as nothing short of treason by the Oilers owner.  The Kings purchased him to "raise-the-profile" of hockey in the US. He and wife actress Janet Jones (using the term as a stretch with her, kind of like calling Victoria a singer) were the darlings of LA, until the latest darling du jour took over a few months later.
Becks will be just another high dollar athlete in a country up to its eyeballs in them.
Fax

Thanks for enlightening me Fax.

Presumably Wayne plays the 'ice' version of hockey rather than the 'girls in short skirts and knickers' version preferred in the rest of the world.

Tough choice isn't it - guys in padding and helmets or girls in short skirts... Perhaps not so tough after all  ;D

Good point Oldtimer until of course you realise that 90% of serious adult female hockey players are kipper lickers with sensible shoes and suspiciously short hair. Puts me off a bit, does that.  :(

Sorry Andy didn't mean to suggest we should be considering the 'serious' players...

Also, a hell of a lot of (field) hockey players are men - those in the southern central bit of Asia are especially good at it.

Interesting 2006 sportsman earnings table in yesterday's Times, courtesy of Forbes business magazine.

Mr Beckham is 10th (of 10) on $27m. He is outranked by:

1. Tiger Woods ($90m)
2 M Schumacher ($58m)
3 Muhammed Ali ($55m) - not bad for his condition!
.
.
8. Valentino Rossi ($30m)

So considering the widespread appeal and number of fans of soccer, I was surprised he was outranked by Schumey and Rossi.

Tiger and Schumacher I would have suspected at the top, but Mr "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" at third? As you say not bad for someone who hasn't fought in over a quarter century, and it is heavily afflicted with Parkinsons.  I'm glad to Rossi up there, arguably the most charismatic figure in all of sports, and his CV speaks for itself.
Fax

Fax you may be able to confirm a couple of things here....

The way I understand the MLS works is that the contracts are all held BY the MLS governing body?  I know when my team bought Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey, the negotiations weren't fully with DC united etc....

In which case I would imagine that Becks coming over to the US to play for the Galaxy is actually costing the whole of the MLS, not just LA? 

As for being another super athlete in a country full of them, I would argue that point quite veciferously.

Beckham is more than an athlete, he's a global marketing brand of his own, 10 times bigger than anything the US currently has to offer. 

The biggest stars in the US play games (if you can call them that) that don't have world appeal - most people outside of the US have never heard of Wayne Gretzky, hardly care about Michael Jordan, and couldn't give two hoots which Andretti is currently wearing the silver lid....but I can guarantee you that the LA Galaxy ground will be full every week, the shirt sales will go out of the stratosphere around the world, and MLS games will now be beamed across the world.

Do you think if Wayne Gretzky had signed for the Bracknell Bees, or Michael Jordon for the Thames Valley Tigers, anyone would have really noticed?? The only new place that would have thier eyes on it would be the U.S. - but going this way - the whole world, AND the states have thier eyes on L.A.

THAT is why Beckham will more than likely become one of the biggest stars in america - add that to his popularity around the rest of the world, and he is on course to become THE biggest sports personality in the world...and good on him...

Football (or soccer as the Americans scandalously re-named it) is the greatest game in the world....bar none....The quality in the U.S recentely has improved (a couple of players were even good enough to play in the UK) but the presence of a true footballing genius will more than likely kick start the popularity, and America might finally move away from the most confusing and boring sports portfolio on the planet, and embrace the beautiful game for what it is....who knows, they might even learn to be passionate about it....

Oh and just to be clear - the "world series" ACTUALLY INCLUDES the whole world.....So the U.S might not win it.....

I think the USA is brilliant at marketing. I remember seeing some statistics about the superbowl. I think it was 60% of viewers did not actually know the rules, simple marketing meant they would watch it for the show.
When Nigel Mansell went to Indycars the publicity meant we had Rockingham built. The stadiums were always better. Nascar won't go to a track with a capacity less than 100,000. You have better access and facilities are better(seating, food, toilets).
I think if Nascar spread to a truly worldwide series the States would have a USA series which would still earn more.
And i know the Americans always call it soccer but was it not a term given by rugby (rugby footbal) to describe asSOCAtion football. I belive the Americans used it as they had there own football.
Would the majority of the USA really be interested if for half of any international series they woul have to get up in the middle of the night to watch it? The tv channels would not be happy with the lost revenue.
There very good at what they do and good luck to them.

Which naturally is played with the hands....

Coupled with the fact that the game makes ABSOLUTELY no sense to anyone with a sporting mind....

Its the biggest bugbear I have about the whole US vs Rest of the World issue.....

So Snoring Rhino what your saying is that Beckham has greater worldwide appeal than Tiger? Hmm, tend doubt it.  At the end of the day, Americans just don't care about soccer, simple as that.  Having a world famous Brit playing here won't change that either.  He may sell a sh**tload of jersey's, but they'll be to England, not here in America.  The one market he will really be a hit with are Latino's.  They are the fastest growing minority in the US and huge soccer enthusiast.  Its a simple as this, the US is full of sporting fans, we love sports, we live for sports, but we love sports that are native to America, played by Americans, here in America.  Like it or loathe it, that's the way it is.
99% of Americans coulnd't give a sh**t that Davis Beckham is a global brand, he's just another Euro soccer player, to someone in Georgia, or Nebraska, or Oregon, or Ohio.  Americans are going to tune into to watch Peyton Manning, Chad Johnson, or Donovan McNabb, not David Beckham.  Frankly American sporting fans just don't give a damn what the rest of the world prefers to watch,  You can argue till your blue in the face, watch want you want, its not us against anyone, we just don't care what anyone else likes, we'll watch what what turns us on, not you.  As Chris said, to each his own (and we are talking about sports here, remember that).
Just telling it the way it is.
Fax

So basically what you're saying is that Americans are unwilling to admit that their national sport is shite and they won't embrace the correct version of the sport, even though the highest paid sportsman in the world (and I thought American Football and Basketball stars were paid too much) is coming to town?

I think you'll find that Snoring Rhino is correct here

Robspot, we have a bunch of national sports, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey, etc.  Whats your point?  Last time I checked Canadians didn't have any pro soccer teams.  Does this make them third world according to you?
Fax

I've met lots of Canadians and they're very nice, not sure what their lack of pro soccer teams has got to do with anything.

You've illustrated my point very well, thank you. US citizens think they are the governing body in most of the world's sports so it pisses you off when a "non-US sport" hits the headlines. All of the sports listed above are neatly segregated into "periods" which allows you to talk inanely about whichever bullshit interests you at the time. Heaven forbid you should have to concentrate for 45 minutes at a time on an actual game.

Oh well, you can always go back to F1  ::)

Robspot, Beckham is bigger than Tiger?  Once again who cares!
Our version of football is sh*t?  Your opinion?  Who cares! (I'm having fun with this)
We've got Baseball in the spring, summer & autumn.  Football in the Autumn & Winter.  Basketball in the Winter & Spring.  Hockey from Autumn through Spring.  All of which are watched by millions here in North America (remember, the Canadians love American Football too, the CFL draws huge crowds, and we've got the Blue Jays in MLB).
Knock yourselves out with soccer.
Fax

Oh where's the original Fax?

He was so much more fun to bait, you're like an almost socially acceptable version  :laugh:

Come to Le Mans (with a US entourage) and we'll set US v English sport for a final decider.

Otherwise we'll do a rugby v US football tournament and we'll take you apart. Just an offer!

US citizens think we're the governing body of world sports?  WTF?  Have another beer Robspot.  Because soccer's not that popluar here.  Yeesh!
I'm ridiculing a LA soccer club for paying a past-his-prime player $250 million,
and debating why I think its a huge waste of money.  And suddenly the US is trying to be the governing body of international sports?
Sleep it off Robspot.
Fax

Ok then, how many sports are watched in the US that you don't think you created?

By the way, I've been an "American Football" fan since about 1986. Unfortunately it's always been the Dolphins for me so I haven't enjoyed much victory!

YES

Sorry, a truly verbose thread, but, I have to go with... Fax


>Martini...

And if you're still feeling hard done by then I'm more than willing to introduce you to the UK version of the UFC. I trust that, even as an American, you can still appreciate the skills required for that

Who cares?  It's about what people enjoy watching.  Hockey's a lot more popular at the pro level than soccer here, and we didn't event it.  I'm not trying to take this piss out of anyone or make fun of anyone for liking soccer.
My neice plays college soccer on a lucrative scholorship, but its just never caught on at the pro/spectator level.  When Pele joined the Cosmos in the mid-seventies all of the soccer enthusiast said "this is it, this will bring the game to the big time"  it didn't happen.  In 1994 when we hosted the World Cup and the US team played well all the the soccer enthusiast said "this is it, this will raise the game to the big time" didn't happen.  A few years ago when the US Women won the Womens World Cup the soocer enthusiast siad this is it, this will bring soccer to the big time.  They started a Womens MLS league that lasted about a season and a half.  Why would anyone think that bringing a over-the-hill David Beckham over change things?
Soccer fans over here have much in common with US F1 fans.  There is a small, enthusiastic group of fans.  But they've never caught on with the mainstream sports fans and never will.
Fax

Sorry Fax but that's just the attitude we've come to expect from The US guys.

Whether you like it or not, Beckham is the biggest football (or soccer as you call it) superstar in the world to date and there are several companies (adidas at the forefront) who hope he catches in the US.

Whilst I agree he is over the hill for the UK/Euro market he is perfectly poised for the US. I think the US were great at the last world cup and the sooner we can get the greatest sporting audience on the planet on-board the better world sport can become. If you still want to maintain that we have nothing to offer you then I'm afraid you're going to miss out.

I'm not for a second denying Beckham is the biggest soccer star on the planet, I'm sure he is. And I'm VERY certain companies like Adidas want to see him catch on here, no doubt about it.  But until soccer can begin attracting our best young athletes to the pro level, its going to remain a second or third class citizen in the US as a spectator sport, and I don't see a thirty-one year old David Beckham suddenly converting a nation largely indifferent to soccer into soocer fans.  The joke already going around is that we hope Beckham got a letter of credit from Bank of America, because this could very well bankcrupt the league trying to pay for his contract.
Fax

I should add Robspot, it seems that some of our post's came online about the same time, unlike most American sports fans I do understand the subtle skills of international football.  But I'm in a large minority.
Fax

Who's David Beckham?

Unfortuntely its the fact that the US is unable to embrace the skills required in football is the reason that the rest of the world SEE's them as a third class sporting nation....forget the olympics, forget the superbowl, forget the NafFL, "soccer" as you seem to insist on calling it (Seriously, its played with the feet - i know this is an alien concept) is the BIGGEST game in the world. 

THE WHOLE of the rest of the world barring the US and Canada play it and are passionate about it...the roots of US sport come from the fact that they are terrible at football, and therefore threw thier toys out the pram and invented thier own imitation of the game, where they could predominantely use thier hands.....THEN they invented the "World" baseball series, but discounted the rest of the world.... World Domination? I think not - the WORLD does not consist of 50 states....

Beckham is WAY bigger than Tiger Woods...in ANY country...Golf is not really a sport...where's the athletisism?  I mean have a look at colin montgomery....hardly young, fit and athletic.... Beckham  is NOT the biggest football player in the UK...He's the biggest player in THE WORLD....Which STILL doesn't consist of 50 states....

The packed bars when I was in the NYC over new years suggest that "soccer" has a bigger following than it's given credit for in the US...now some of these will be tourists...but pretending that ANY U.S. sport is bigger than football is just madness... especially given that there wasn't a fan in sight when the Handball game was on....

Be grateful that you've managed to secure a superstar into the ranks of your second rate sporting nation, sit back, and watch his world domination continue...maybe if the US started to embrace soccer, you'd truly understand the meaning of passion.

READING FC TILL I DIE....

And there you are, here was me thinking this was a site relating to a proper sport.

I'll give you credit Snoring Rhino, your certainly enthusiastic, delusional if you think US fans are going to embrace soccer, but no doubt out it, enthusistic!
Fax

Brad, the following is from a guy named Jim Rome, one of the most influential sports radio talk show hosts. This is his take on Beckham:
 
A day later, this town is still reeling from the Los Angeles Whatever They Call Themselves bringing in David Beckham for a reported $250 million bucks potentially. The MLS and the Galaxy are hoping Beckham can do what no other human in the history of the world has been able to do, make more than five people in America care about soccer.

That $250 mill just bought you one full day pub and splashed soccer all over the fishrap and television, but let me say this. And I mean this sincerely, Orange Wedge Nation, back in the shallow end. Football is still king here and the playoffs are this weekend, so I hope you enjoyed that one day vacation because it’s never coming back. There is no soccer renaissance coming. The MLS is not the new NASCAR. I don’t care how much they pay him, or how many TV ads they run of him bending it around mullet wearers. The guy is always going to be one thing to me; New Coke. Lots of hype, lots of pub, but a watered down version of something I didn’t ask for, don’t need and don’t want. He’s a fading star, on the downside of his career, playing a fringe sport. Great, he’s famous. I get it. So is Robert DeNiro, but I don’t want to see him play soccer either. Saying it’s big, doesn’t make it so. And in anticipation of all your soccer emails, that I just don’t get it…exactly, I don’t. I’ve been trying to tell you that for years. Why aren’t you listening?
 
 

Football a fringe sport?  Surely not!  :D

In the unlikey event that Football (the world version  ;)) does take off in the US of A, then the rest of the world better watch out.

If it became the sport of choice in the colleges then we would have to contend with thrashings like the cricket team got at the hands of the Aussies (thank god, like the US its not a huge sport there either!) and the associated gloating.

A nation the size of the USA, with the wealth and training regimes used in baseball, footbal (colonial) and the will to win would become an unstopable machine until they where dope tested at any rate.

BTW, I heard today on the radio that Beckham is being toted to play a part hosting the oscars ::)

Who cares?


I can't be bothered with football, soccer, whatever. Messrs Rhino and Robspot do not speak for the whole of the UK population... Even some Radio 4 radio presenters today were being somewhat scathing about it (err - I was fitting a car radio and came onto radio 4 - I don't usually listen to that either!!).  :o

Another thought about Becks move, as seen in a paper this weekend

I know I'm late to the party here, but dude, what the hell are you on?  Perhaps if you stick with caravan holidays to Skegness, you won't feel so bitter every time you come here and then have to go home again to hype-up how "better" the rest of the world is.

Beckham will get media attention, but MLS won't. 

You clearly don't understand US society.  Go to New Orleans or Chicago RIGHT NOW (at half time of the play-off game against Seattle) and you'll see passion that matches anywhere in the world when it comes to sports.  Having lived in the States for the last 20 years I have not lost my passion for football (I see we drew with Reading today by the way) but have developed very strong feelings for some US sports (especially NFL).  Fans are just as loyal, the game is just as entertaining and the stars are just as motivating.

For the MLS to truly attract widespread US interest, there'd have to be a dramatic loss of interest in the existing sports.  In the early 80s American Football came to the UK, we all watched it on Channel 4 and it was interesting to many.  But nobody bailed on footy to adopt this instead.  Why would it be ANY different the other way around?  It won't.

As for Becks.... My money's on him being found with Paris Hilton's knickers around his chin within 6-months.

I have nothing against America or Americans in particular...and FYI the plan is that I will move over to the States within the next 3 years...

But as for passion...well see the attached video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5SCGHSZzKI&mode=related&search=

If you can find me evidence of any US sport where the fans care that much that they make THAT MUCH noise, I'll gladly admit that I was wrong and you were right.
Thats 3000 fans in that video - its not even thier home ground...the goal technically meant nothing - by that time Reading were promoted by virtue of other results elsewhere, that we ALL knew about....

This kind of scene is common across the UK and the rest of the world....

You have to watch it for about a minute - the rest is all just chating and singing...

We only really have one truly great sport (Rugby,  cricket etc is all good, but not really on the scale of football over here)...no matter how hard you try, you'll never convince me that the beautiful games name sake is anything other than its poor relation... Mainly by virtue of the fact that its name is wrong (it really ought to be called handball, or catchwrestling) and that really, it's just big money wrestling...and don't even START on the WWF rubbish!

Playoff's, Superbowl, World Series, Stanley Cup....the only people who watch that really are in the US.... and what has riled me more than anything is the fact that you've just signed one of the biggest sports stars on the planet, and America is happy to make a joke out of it.  Whats the matter with them? Scared that Beckham's going to come over and show the world how poor americans really ARE at real sports?

Motorsports is my first love....Football is my passion....you will never convince me that US Sports are anything but US sports - to be played in the US, and kept in the US...

As an end note to this post, I'd just like to say that I if my passion for this subject has made me seem a little personal and hard hitting, I'm sorry - I wish to make no enemy's on this board and I am purely putting my point across as I highly disagree with the original post...no offence meant towards those on the other side of the pond....and for the info of those who are interested, it is also my belief that NO ONE PERSON IS WORTH £125 MILLION in 5 years....

Brad

P.S. That video wasn't taken by me....or anyone near me - Im about 30 seats to the right hand side....

Your comments seem so unfounded it's bizarre.  If you're going to move to the US, please drop the "UK is better" attitude.  We've got enough desperately hanging on ex-pats over here already.  It's very passé.

By the way, next time you're over here, go to South Philly and ask some of the steelworkers their thoughts about the Eagles....

Like my younger and uglier sibling, I;m late on this one, but have been watching it with interest.
Firstly, I think that David Beckham (or rather his management) have done exactly the right thing. Nowhere else on this planet could a sportsman in his position capitalise on his fame and past glory than in this market. I take my hat off to him.
Secondly, I'm no expert on sport in general - but - I was a pretty much died-in-the-wool Nottm Forest fan when I lived in England, so I went through the pleasure and the pain (mostly pain). I also played Rugby Union for my school, (Henry Mellish Grammer, Nottm) and Nottingham Boys as hooker and stand-off - so I have a grasp of Rugby too.
Soccer (sorry to use this profane word) is not a sport that will ever easily be embraced in the US. Just like cricket. That's not to say that either game has no value - it just doesn't work here.
(American) Football is a sports phenomenon here that is hard to understand, unless you take the trouble to understand it. (like any other sport, I guess).
Those that try to compare  US Football with Rugby are ignorant. There are precious few similarities in the two games, other than territory and possession. I have a little knowledge of the US game now - and it is a great sport - full of strategy, drama, the unexpected - and as stated earlier, marketed superbly in this country - it's a national institution - just like Football is in Europe. Knocking one country's national game against anothers is banal - irrelevant and without foundation.
Getting back to the question at hand - will the arrival of David Beckham herald a serious interest in Soccer in the US? Temporarily, yes - he's a major global celebrity after all. That said, he's also past it (in terms of Soccer's higher eschelon) and he's one player in a team that would struggle to force a draw with Barnsley FC Reserves - so where's the glory in that?
He ain't the first - George Best, Rodney Marsh, Pele, Franz Beckenbaur - this isn't a unique deal.
David Beckham will be huge in the US - but not because he's any good at Football.   

Some great rants Brad, utterly paranoid, but great rants nonetheless.  As Dave said, lose the superiority attitude if your planning on moving here, you'll find yourself very lonely and unemployed.
Fax

It's all come on a bit since the good old days of Division One, standing on the terraces at Villa Park in the rain and wind, eating a rat pie and drinking something masquerading as warm beer, all from within a week's pocket money.  The days when footballers had normal jobs during weekdays, trained in the evenings and played matches on a Saturday.......ho hum....

MG Mark

Fax I think it is a bit rich to make with the 'holier than thou' (as illustrated in your reply to Brad) attitude.  The quote from earlier in the thread is indicative of the view of the world that Americans appear to have.  Introspective and miopic.  Elsewhere you mentioned that we are 'only talking about sport'.  Not so sure...

And I thought you and I were going to agree on this thread, but things seem to have taken a turn.   Still the airing of opinions is a healthy thing.

Oldtimer, please! read the fricking post.  I was talking about sports Amercian prefer to watch.  Get it? Thats all, SPORTS!
Don't try to twist it into something its not.
Fax

Given that FAX is American I think we have to respect his opinions about what his fellow country men like to watch and the fact that Football will never be a leading game over there. One of those things, I can live with that.

I mean lets face it, perhaps FAX thinks we are all a ‘crash helmet short of the full body armour’ because I for one would rather have pins stuck in my eyes than have to watch  that NFL thing, and lets face in the US Soccer is a bit of a girls game, in the same way that Base Ball - rounders and Basketball – netball, are girls games over here. Its just one of the things.

It might be that Becks does a job in there, but I can't help feeling that if the Americans were going to warm to Football, then they would have done so by now. And finally I couldn't really care less whether they do or not.

Hi Monkey, nah, don't think Brits are that at all.  I have several good friends who are Brits and they're all good blokes.  What would be horrifying to a handful of your countrymen on this forum though is that most of these who've pulled up stakes and moved to this US have become US football fans.  I can go to the local pub (which is big hangout for ex-pats in Cincy) on Saturday or Sunday afternoon and find a bunch of them watching college or pro football on the TV.  Those who don't care for it, they're good guys too.  Its all about what floats your boat.
Fax

I wasnt gonna say a word, darnit it's Mark's fault talking about the terraces at Villa Park. Woke me up to realise I did have an opinion after all (Which end Mark?)

I would have liked to see the superstar come back to the Premiership, maybe even to VP to earn a crust, but after remembering how bad at most of the basic "football" stuff he is it's a good job he is going to the US and will be heavily into Paris by the end of the year.

He CAN place the ball beautifully into the goal or on a fellow team member's head, but he doesnt have the bottle to tackle or run with the ball into the area. I wonder if that is why he isnt wanted anywhere else.

IMO he with his little mate sicknote Owen cost us (England) a fair go at several trophies in the last few years.

America, you have him, I cetainly wont miss him.

Ronaldo though, him I could wish for.
 ;)

I could quite happily wish him over to the States....

2 Games vs Reading.......3 goals....

Whilst thier going about paying over the odds for a load of junk, they can take Andy Johnson from Everton, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Jose Mourinhio, and Ulises De La Cruz if they want....(yes I know he plays for Reading, but seriously - theres a reason we call him Useless De La Cruz)

I'm starting to feel that Fax has a point - it's all about what floats your boat - unfortunately America is full of sports which (However dull) appeal to the nature and culture of the country - and are marketed with fizzy drinks, Hotdogs, and more fizzy drinks....  The fact that "soccer" is a game of intricacy, skill, judgement, fitness and teamwork will always be lost whilst they can still watch what seems like about 80 people fight over nothing whilst two people play catch over the top of them....so I'm happy to sit and watch Becks show the US how to play football from the UK, safe in the knowledge that that America doesn't know what it's missing....

I would also point out that I am bitter because at £4million (the fee Real Madrid actually wanted for him) even Reading could have managed - and I was hoping he'd pull on the hoops for one more year of set piece magic....ho hum....

At least we get to look forward to the Astons giving the Corvettes a dammed good Spanking at Le-Mans... :)

Poor old useless! we always called him that, when we were not calling him even worse things. In hindsight we could prolly still do with him again. We aint got no defenders at the moment.

Ronaldo keeps battering us too but him I want.

 :)

Now come on, is that any way to talk about Rhino? ;)

Only place to be on a Saturday afternoon in the 70s mate - the Holt End.......

MG Mark

There's a little word that various internet forums use when someone makes a reply, not fully understanding what was said....it goes a little like this...

WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHH

:)

And Mark....we'll happily send him back to you, for about £3.50....even at that price we'd be robbing you....possibly the worst player since Bobby Mihalov to pull on the Royals colours....

at least mihalov was funny when he screwed it up!

The only place to be!

Bottom right!

 ;D

Rhino, superb, totally generous offer

We'll pass

which Useless can't

 :)

bill

Bottom left - on and off from about 1970 until 1976   ;D

MG Mark

That's quite funny in a way.

60s and early seventies I was a Witton ender and after a break I started going back with my son and his cronies in the time of "bigfatronsclaretandbluearmy" They all were Holte-enders so I became one by default...

Still,

still dont want useless back

but we could have put Romeo in the youth team so his dad could have helped out there!

Maybe Randy will pick up some missionary zeal and convert the heathens when he goes back home!

 :o