6:39 PM Thu, Jan 11, 2007 | Permalink
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He was famous before the movie, but after "Bend it like Beckham" hit the silver screen even more so. Pretty boy David Beckham is one of the most skilled soccer players of the era, and with his flamboyant lifestyle he'll fit right in with the Hollywood crowd. I'm sure his wife, Victoria, the former Spice Girl Posh will enjoy Rodeo Drive. But the real, or should I say "The Real" question, can Beckham pump more life into Major League Soccer? We spoke to Dynamo President Oliver Luck who is enthusiastic about the possibility. Luck sees Beckham much like Michael Jordan who was able to parlay his basketball skills onto to Madison Avenue. It wasn't all the "Air Jordan's" he was selling, it was also the underwear. Someone has already said it was Jordan who made "Bald Beautiful." Still that's Basketball, one of the truly American games which is played worldwide. Soccer on the other hand is played in America, but still only has "niche" status. It's not like this hasn't been tried before. In the 70's there was something called the North American Soccer League. Do you remember the Houston Hurricanes? The same kind of talk was said then as it is today. More kids play youth soccer in America than football. That may be true, but as we all know, more people watch High School football than soccer. Texas isn't the only place where they play on Friday night, Saturday is College Football, and then the professionals play on Sunday. The NASL brought in Pele, and then Franz Beckenbauer. I'll never forget when Pele arrived. He vowed he would learn English better, and he did. People did go out and watch the Cosmos, but in time the NASL folded. It couldn't sustain a loyal audience around the league no matter how well the league was promoted. It took awhile for the Dynamo to arrive in Houston. Thankfully it wasn't an expansion team, so they came well stocked with talent and went on to win a championship. It is a happy day for Major League Soccer, but there's a concern a $250 million contract could be weighty on all teams. Let's hope Beckham's signing "bends" the league's purse strings, and not "break the bank."
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