Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

[Karl]

<DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e7e7e7">Beckham will leave Real Madrid at season's end.
<SPAN style="COLOR: #666666">AP</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px"></DIV><DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px">Yesterday was a landmark day for Major League Soccer. David Beckham, the most recognizable star in the sport, signed a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy. At 31, the Real Madrid midfielder can still play, though he was demoted from his position as England's captain after last summer's World Cup. "This isn't the same as the Cosmos' signing of Pel in the 1970s, but it's awfully close," says SI's Grant Wahl. "While Beckham has lost a bit of pace, he was still effective at last year's World Cup and remains one of the world's best free-kick-takers. And let's be honest: The marketing opportunities are enormous. Expect to see Galaxy jerseys with Beckham's name in every corner of the world. And his stamp of approval for the league will make it much easier for other international stars to come on board. MLS's newly installed designated-player rule--the so-called Beckham rule--allows each team to pay an unlimited salary to one player. DP slots are tradable, and the New York Red Bulls now have two of them." For more from Wahl click here.
</DIV>

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

<DIV>How did Beckham become the most recognizable star in football? More than the overbite twins of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho? </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Are they mixing up Hollywood style entertainment and the sport of football?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Oops! There goes my jealousy again, Zeppo!</DIV>

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

Karl (1/12/2007)
<DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e7e7e7">"This isn't the same as the Cosmos' signing of Pel in the 1970s, but it's awfully close," says SI's Grant Wahl. "While Beckham has lost a bit of pace, he was still effective at last year's World Cup and remains one of the world's best free-kick-takers.
</DIV><DIV>

</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>At least this person knows that this pales in comparison to Pel's(sic)signing.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Becks was still effective at the World Cup - :Laff:</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Remains one of the best free-kick-takers - (N)</DIV>

[T.K.]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

Mosiah (1/12/2007)

Karl (1/12/2007)
<DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING-TOP: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e7e7e7">"This isn't the same as the Cosmos' signing of Pel in the 1970s, but it's awfully close," says SI's Grant Wahl. "While Beckham has lost a bit of pace, he was still effective at last year's World Cup and remains one of the world's best free-kick-takers.
</DIV><DIV>

</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>At least this person knows that this pales in comparison to Pel's(sic)signing.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Becks was still effective at the World Cup - :Laff:</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Remains one of the best free-kick-takers - (N)</DIV>

Mosiah are you for real?

Walk down the street and pick out any random person and I guarantee if you show them a picture of David Beckham and Ronaldo/Ronaldinho more people will know Beckham then would know the other two. Heck my mom knows who Beckham is and she does not watch nor follow football.

It is the same way if you were to show a picture of Ali besides Klitchsko to random people on the street more could identify ali even though Klitchsko is the current star.

I chuckle that you say he is not a star but yet you can't stop posting about the guy. Why would such a non-entity deserve so much special attention from you? - T.K.

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

T.K. (1/12/2007)

Mosiah are you for real?

Walk down the street and pick out any random person and I guarantee if you show them a picture of David Beckham and Ronaldo/Ronaldinho more people will know Beckham then would know the other two. Heck my mom knows who Beckham is and she does not watch nor follow football.

I chuckle that you say he is not a star but yet you can't stop posting about the guy. Why would such a non-entity deserve so much special attention from you? - T.K.

You just made my point - he is not a football star! People, esp. in the USA, don't know him because of his football accomplishments!

If you feel that my posting on the issue means that I see him as a star, then, knock yourself out! I post a lot on Reneto Adams and I don't see him as a star. In fact, I despise the fella!

[T.K.]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

You just made my point - he is not a football star! People, esp. in the USA, don't know him because of his football accomplishments!

If you feel that my posting on the issue means that I see him as a star, then, knock yourself out! I post a lot on Reneto Adams and I don't see him as a star. In fact, I despise the fella!

Well they may not know him for his football accomplishments but he is a football star. I think what youare saying is that he is not on the level of the best players in the world which is correct. However in spite of his modest footballing skill when Real Madrid travelsaround the world who do the fans want to meet? It is none other than Mr. Beckham.

Okay so you got me on Renato. Point taken. - T.K.

[Karl]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

<H2>Red-letter day</H2><H1>What Beckham's arrival will meanfor MLS, U.S. soccer</H1><H1>Mark it down: Jan. 11, 2007 will forever be known as the day that Major League Soccer truly arrived on the world stage.</H1><DIV> </DIV><DIV class=cnnStoryImage><DIV class=cnnImgCaption>The first of many? David Beckham may not be the only star coming to MLS.</DIV></DIV>

David Beckham, the world's most recognizable soccer star, is leaving Real Madrid to join MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy in August on a five-year contract. And he's doing it the age of 31, it should be noted, not at, say, 35, when the world would simply scoff at a washed-up European star coming Stateside for a vacation and an easy paycheck.

Beckham's signing isn't necessarily a surprise. I wrote back in October that a team in MLS -- most likely the Galaxy -- needed to make it happen sooner rather than later. Here's what Beckham's arrival means:

• MLS just got noticed in the domestic and international realm. Beckham's signing isn't exactly the same thing as the Cosmos's signing of Pelé in the 1970s, but it's awfully close to it. Pelé was the greatest player the game had ever seen, while Becks has never been considered the planet's best player. But Beckham is a much better player than some of his critics are willing to admit -- while he has lost a bit of pace, he was still effective at last year's World Cup and remains one of the world's best free kick-takers. And let's be honest: the marketing opportunities here are enormous. Expect to see Galaxy jerseys with Beckham's name in every corner of the world.

• From a domestic perspective, landing Beckham gives MLS a credibility that it has never had with the American sports fan, who demands to see the world's biggest stars in the sports it cares about. Beckham is a great match for L.A., where Galaxy games will become A-list events with the celebrity sightings you usually associate with Lakers games.

• Beckham may not be the only star coming to MLS. Now that Beckham has decided to make the move, his stamp of approval for the league will make it much easier for other international stars to come on board. MLS's newly installed designated-player rule -- the so-called Beckham rule -- allows each team to pay an unlimited salary to one player. DP slots are tradeable, and the New York Red Bulls now have two of them. In other words, look for Bruce Arena's Red Bulls (and perhaps a few others) to create some major buzz of their own with a big-name signing or two: Ronaldo, the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history and Beckham's current teammate at Real Madrid, has long been rumored as a target.

• Will Beckham's signing make the soccer that much better around the league? Not on its own. He's only one player, after all, and MLS needs to continue making strides when it comes to youth development. But from a soccer perspective Beckham will be a useful player in the midfield of the Galaxy, which frankly needs the help after missing the playoffs for the first time in league history last season. The image of Beckham sending crosses onto the head of Landon Donovan for goals is the sort of thing that will be replayed on televisions around the world.

• Are there any possible downsides to bringing Beckham on board? Sure. Overspending on international stars is what eventually doomed the old NASL, and there's no going back for MLS after this move. At the same time, though, there appear to be more rules in place -- not least the league's single-entity structure -- which should prevent wild bidding wars between teams. As for other risks, is it possible that Becks could be a bust on the field here? I guess, but it's not likely. The league has a

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

T.K. (1/12/2007)

You just made my point - he is not a football star! People, esp. in the USA, don't know him because of his football accomplishments!

If you feel that my posting on the issue means that I see him as a star, then, knock yourself out! I post a lot on Reneto Adams and I don't see him as a star. In fact, I despise the fella!

Well they may not know him for his football accomplishments but he is a football star. I think what youare saying is that he is not on the level of the best players in the world which is correct. However in spite of his modest footballing skill when Real Madrid travelsaround the world who do the fans want to meet? It is none other than Mr. Beckham.

Okay so you got me on Renato. Point taken. - T.K.

<DIV></DIV><DIV>For me, he might be the most recognizable football player (and I seriously doubt that), but he is not the most recognizable star in football. The latter implies that the sport gave him his recognition. Not possible, since Beckham has hardly been one of the best in the world. If it weren't for his non-football activities (Posh, movie, hairstyles, etc.) we would all be saying, David who?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Small detail, but important detail! </DIV>

[Baddaz]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

Mosiah (1/12/2007)<DIV>How did Beckham become the most recognizable star in football? More than the overbite twins of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho? </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Are they mixing up Hollywood style entertainment and the sport of football?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Oops! There goes my jealousy again, Zeppo!</DIV>

mosiah... all due respect to the 'overbite twins of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho', they are not as recognized as beckham... beckham transcends football... no need to hate on beckham... he may not be the best footballer on the planet, but he is without doubt, the most recognizable football player on the planet...

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

<DIV>See my response to TK. </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>I think some of us need to extract ourselves from the USA setting and he won't be so recognizable any more.</DIV>

[T.K.]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

<DIV>For me, he might be the most recognizable football player (and I seriously doubt that), but he is not the most recognizable star in football. The latter implies that the sport gave him his recognition. Not possible, since Beckham has hardly been one of the best in the world. If it weren't for his non-football activities (Posh, movie, hairstyles, etc.) we would all be saying, David who?</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>Small detail, but important detail! </DIV>

Of course the sport gave him recognition among football fans. Beckham was runner up twice for FIFA World Player of the Year! Seriously you are being silly now. Victoria introduced Beckham to a whole new group of fans but the fact remains that he has had avery accomplished career.He is one of a handful of players to have scored in 3 straight world cups. The guy could play. - T.K.

[Mosiah]

RE: Excerpt from Sports Illustrated

T.K. (1/12/2007)

The guy could play. - T.K.

Nicely said!