So Beckham is playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy MLS team…
Having Beckham playing in the U.S. is a good thing. Yes, he not in his 20s anymore, or he might be recuperating from injuries, but there is an important angle to consider… or that some of us consider, and it has to do not with today’s game, but the impact on the future of the game here in the U.S.
Soccer in the U.S. is still new; I would say 2 generations who sparsely truly understand the game. And it will take (many) more generations to bring the game a par to Europe and to other parts of the world– by this I mean from the players themselves to the overall experience. Will it ever be at the level of American Football or Baseball or Basketball? Not initially, not for years, maybe never.
So bringing in players such as Beckham will help bring the attention to the game. Is he worth the $5.5 million salary (which is more than 50 times the average pay the in Major League Soccer)? I don’t know. But at $5.5 million a year, that is less than the $27 million (or more?) than Alex Rodriguez gets paid for playing baseball, or Kevin Garnett’s $30 million salary for playing basketball.
In any case, bringing in players like Beckham will help lay down the foundation, a strategy that will help bring U.S. soccer up a notch; now we need to attract more players, as well as coaches. To bring the level up, it is about the children. As the youngsters in the U.S. continue to play the game, as it has been happening, the level of the game will pick up– it is a matter of time…
Welcome to the U.S. Beckham…
ceo