David Beckham agrees to LA Galaxy move

[j-6]

I'm under the impression that MLS is beginning their push toward the big time. We Americans are idiots. As many people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials as for the game, and the most recognizable face in soccer just landed here for $50 mill a season, and over half of that is an endorsement deal? We're about to be bombarded with Beckham's soccer ads and both the curious and the easily impressionable will certainly tune in to actual MLS games to see what the fuss is about.

I think over half the league now plays in their own soccer-specific stadia that seat around 20K a piece. The stadium in Frisco averaged 15K a game for the Dallas MLS team before any of this Beckham hype.

MLS isn't ever going to be the NFL, Major League Baseball, or the NBA; but I can certainly see it becoming more popular than the NHL. There's a lot of major markets that the league hasn't tapped into, and now MLS has a face.

Which we're about to see a uva lot more of.

[Marcus Bryant]

If there was ever a ripe time for soccer to become something other than an "other sport" in the US, that time is now. MLS seems to have its together. You have a growing fanbase for the sport here, especially among Hispanics.

The problem in the past (well, since the 70s) hasn't been that no one plays the game in the states, but rather that you didn't have the audience for it. So athletes were drawn to other sports that had the audience and were heavily marketed.

It's going to take more than just Beckham. The MLS needs to continue to open up the checkbook for European players, and not just necessarily the stars. The more average European league players who view the MLS as a desirable destination, the better the play and the more likely it will be that international fans will tune in to watch matches.

Soccer won't take over US football, baseball, or basketball in popularity in the US, but the potential is there for the MLS to grow into a rather large and successful franchise. The key will be to be good enough to be a viable option for the average Premier League player to play in during his prime. I think for the forseeable future that the MLS is going to see a hefty portion of its growth come from outside the US. But at some point I suspect that the game will start to draw American eyeballs, especially when American athletes can start drawing salaries on par with their counterparts in the NBA, NFL, and MLB.

[TDMVPDPOY]

the only thing the mls will attract is players who are lookin for a payrise, but the compe ion as a whole will be as compared to europe big and local leagues, i dont even think MLS =<english division 1 soccer.

if you americans invest in soccer like you invest in any of your major sports, you will become a powerhouse in the sport unlike ur lame world no.2 ranking comin into germany worldcup hahahaha,

[ShoogarBear]

David Beckham will fan the flames of the soccer craze ignited by Freddie Adu in this country.

$50 million/year? This will end up killing MLS the same way it killed the NASL.

[cornbread]

Is it true that the average MLS salary is around $80,000? I heard this on the radio today.

[dg7md]

Age old question, why is American football called that? Football (as in soccer) makes a lot of sense. I hope this awakens Americans to other sports. Soccer and hockey are some of the best, most exciting and compe ive sports around but the market isn't there for the United States.

[SAtown]

Age old question, why is American football called that? Football (as in soccer) makes a lot of sense. I hope this awakens Americans to other sports. Soccer and hockey are some of the best, most exciting and compe ive sports around but the market isn't there for the United States.

That's something that doesn't have an explanation. I'm sure they didn't name American style 'football' because of the kickers and punters, cuz they're the scapegoats everytime a team loses.

And you're right. I've been to a ton of soccer games (in Mexico, Spain, & Italy) and there isn't anything more exciting to watch in person.

[Gerryatrics]

Age old question, why is American football called that?

Because American Football started out as a variation of Rugby. It took a couple of decades for things like carrying the ball and forward passing to be introduced that make modern day American Football what it is.

[Gerryatrics]

I'd just like to point out that Beckham isn't getting $50 million a year salary from the LA Galaxy. His salary is somewhere around $10 million a year (Perhaps $10.2 million a year/$51 million over five years?). The $250 million over five years figure is an estimation of how much he might make with his combined salary and commercial endorsements and whatnot.

[johnsmith]

Age old question, why is American football called that? Football (as in soccer) makes a lot of sense. I hope this awakens Americans to other sports. Soccer and hockey are some of the best, most exciting and compe ive sports around but the market isn't there for the United States.

Hockey is hands down the best sport to watch in person. I miss my Avalanche so damn much.

[johnsmith]

Obviously it's the ENTIRE world against people that think like these two guys.

Well, except for America anyway.

[scott]

Is the power of Posh e's jugs lost on you people?

[johngateswhiteley]

Is the power of Posh e's jugs lost on you people?

her legs kind of remind me of this girl that liked me in college, mmm, she was hot. but she didn't have big fake boobies like Posh....and, yes, the power is lost on these people.

whats funny, is that these two will automatically be the hottest couple in hollywood b/c they are new and people think they are hot. the media will go nuts....not that i give a .

[johngateswhiteley]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...399688&cc=5901

...Real Madrid coach is going to bench Beckham indefinitely. maybe he'll come to the US sooner!!!?

[DarkReign]

Hockey is hands down the best sport to watch in person. I miss my Avalanche so damn much.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Wings > Avs

Hockey is the best sport. Period. Not even close. Its faster, harder and the players are the toughest sons-a- es to walk the streets.

[johnsmith]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Wings > Avs

Hockey is the best sport. Period. Not even close. Its faster, harder and the players are the toughest sons-a- es to walk the streets.

Personally I think you could also argue that they are the most conditioned athletes as well.


your Red Wings by the way.

Don't you miss days when the Avs weren't a mediocre team and that was the most kick ass rivalry in sports for a few years? That was so much damn fun.

[GrandeDavid]

My prediction:

Won't significantly effect the MLS one iota.

If Pele couldn't spark the US professional soccer market, Beckham damn sure won't.

Pele was already in his late 30s and it wasn't Pele's fault that soccer didn't catch fire. The NASL was terribly mismanaged and was in a different era. Nowadays, its all about mass communication, internet, globablization, i.e. a completely different era. By no means am I under the illusion that David Beckham will stir a soccer revolution in the U.S., but I think that his coming over at a reasonable age and clearly as the most renowkned active sports icon in the world right now in terms of marketability, it can only help. I hope it works out for soccer in America. I want soccer to grow in the U.S. and would be damn proud if Beckham were to become a seed of some sort to help grow the popularity of the sport in America. My hopes are tempered, obviously. We shall see.

[Texas_Ranger]

Beckham in LA .

[DarkReign]

Don't you miss days when the Avs weren't a mediocre team and that was the most kick ass rivalry in sports for a few years? That was so much damn fun.

Yes. Those games and series are legendary for me.

[Clandestino]

pele will bring soccer to the u.s., the world cup in 94 will bring soccer to the u.s., soccer fields will bring it to the us.. .fact is, many youngsters play soccer growing up, but then move on to other sports.

americans don't like it. and IT WILL NEVER BE POPULAR in the u.s. also, many newspeople went out to poll people to ask about becks contract and most said, "Who is david beckham." and i am sure the people who knew who he was described him as the e girl's husband.

[Clandestino]

oh wait, i forgot... it will be popular in the u.s. in about 20 to 30 years when minorities make up the majority of the u.s. population.

[resistanze]

^^ Oh that dreaded day.

[Clandestino]

it will be fine bc i am a minority!

[SAtown]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...399688&cc=5901

...Real Madrid coach is going to bench Beckham indefinitely. maybe he'll come to the US sooner!!!?

Beckham won't be coming to the US any sooner. He's not playing any games anymore, but he's still practicing with Real Madrid every day.

[kobe_bryant]

the biggest question that no one has asked is............


will spurstalk give soccer its own board? or will it forever be stuck in "other sports"