Bend it Like Beckham

The big sports news here -- perhaps there as well -- is that David Beckham has signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. The deal, worth reportedly $250M, is being touted as the start of a renaissance for "soccer" here in the U.S.

I don't believe a word of it. I believe that he signed, and I believe the deal is worth lots of money. I just doubt it'll mean much in terms of how the U.S. embraces soccer or how the international community views U.S. soccer.

I'm reminded of the 1970's when Brazilian star Pele came north to play for the professional soccer league in existence at that time. Lots of fanfare; very little lasting result.

Note: yes, soccer is quiet popular among the young here in the United States. Tons of soccer leagues. Kids rarely go out for baseball any more, which explains why the sport of baseball is increasingly dominated by the Latin Americans and the Japanese. But all that youthful enthusiasm hasn't translated into much. It's been bandied about for 30 years, yet professional soccer is marginal at best in the U.S. College soccer is lightly attended.

I'm not disparaging soccer ... I'm just pointing out the obvious: soccer just doesn't command the attention of the American public. Probably the same way in which NASCAR auto racing isn't a big thing over there.

The same holds true for this, I believe. I have three reasons for thinking this:

1. Soccer just can't break into the U.S. sports attention span, with football, basketball and baseball already competing for the time and dollars, as well as being firmly entrenched in the American psyche.
2. David Beckham may still be good, but I doubt anyone seriously considers him the best in the world any more. He may one day have been that, but at 31 (?) he has to be in the twilight of his career. That mirrors Pele's coming to America. He was well past his prime when he signed on with the New York team.
   
3. Finally, I have a hunch -- I don't generally follow these things -- but I have a hunch that he's passed from the roles of sports heroes to celebrity weenies some years back. In other words, he's not taken seriously as a soccer player any more, but rather as a limelight sucking celebrity. Would I be correct in that assessment?
   

My prediction is there'll be much fanfare, lost of publicity, and a great big collective yawn in the United States. In a few years he'll announce his retirement, there'll be much talk about how he energized the sport in America, and he'll try his hand in movies or something. But it'll all be much about nothing.

Am I being too cynical? Do you see this recent development as anything really all that exciting from a purely sport perspective, as opposed to a celebrity perspective?