Bend it, California Style
The world of American soccer just got a whole lot more interesting. An investment of two-hundred and fifty million dollars over the course of the next five years has added not only the world’s most recognized soccer player, but also a bit of credibilty to MLS.
The Los Angeles Galaxy have landed David Beckham, the face of the sport of soccer. Not since Pele has there been a person so associated with the other “football” as Beckham, and now the midfielder has migrated to US soil.
So what does this mean for the sport? Well it certainly means that the LA Galaxy will sell out all of their games this year, and it also means that over the course of the next year or two, soccer will experience a bit of a boost in popularity. More kids will go out for the team, more attendance at events, more jerseys and other merchandise sold, but beyond that it doesn’t mean a whole lot.
Soccer is, by far, the most popular sport in the world, but it can’t manage to break into the top five in the old US of A. Personally I’m a little excited, MLS will get a little more TV coverage and Beckham certainly is fun to watch but the majority of Americans are gonna stick with the major four.
Maybe if the DC United can talk Zidane out of retirement and MLS legalizes the headbutt soccer will get some ratings in the States, but failing that, when the “big picture” is considered Beckham will bring much more worldwide credibility to MLS than stateside popularity.
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