I see that the MLS has a different rationale and "business plan" than the NASL had. However, at least I remember the NASL having some top quality players. I hope that the MLS way works, because I would hate to see the end of another pro soccer league domestically. As far as name recognition- MLS is a joke to the rest of the world for paying Beckham 20 times what he is worth, when no respected team in the world was offering anything for him. Wasn't wanted in Spain, Italy or the Premiership. It was here or the J-league for him. I can not fault him for chasing the almighty dollar. The same little girls that buy Landon Donovan jerseys will be the same ones that purchase Beckham jerseys. The true soccer fan (I shell out over $300/year on jerseys) would not be caught dead in a Galaxy/Beckham kit. The same Asians that sit outside Michael Jacksons hotels and screech for hours on end will be the only ones outside the US that gives a crap about following him or his career. I also doubt he will bring in that many more fans. People that dislike soccer HATE Beckham. People that are knowledgeable about soccer know he is a pop icon- NOT an international soccer superstar. If that is what MLS thinks will sell in the long run, I sure hope the hell they know what they are in for.
Wasn't wanted in Spain, Italy or the Premiership. I hardly think that's fair or accurate. Beckham can still get a starting role on any team in the Premiership outside of the top 4-5 teams, and he could be a useful sub on any of those. It's true that the guy's skills are in decline, but let's not transform him from captain and first squad selection on one of the top National sides in the world into Jeff Agoos in less than a year and a half. MLS needs more fans, knowledgeable or not. The knowledge can always come later, right now, it needs a shot in the arm to get to the next plateau in its progression. This can possibly represent that. And hey, if Davids, Zidane, Ronaldo and some others follow suit, it will have been well worth it.
The same Asians that sit outside Michael Jacksons hotels and screech for hours on end will be the only ones outside the US that gives a crap about following him or his career. This isn't quite true. There's plenty of people in Englan interested in following Becks and his career. Another possible reason why you see 3 or 4 dives per soccer match to every 1 or 2 in an american football match might be there is only 30 minutes of real action in our version (yep, I'm American) and 3 times that in soccer. This isn't quite true either. Real action in the average football (soccer) game is probably only about 50 minutes of the 90 on average. I'm sure there's the statistics out there, but I can't be arsed to look for them.
pmeasley...I would never compare Becks to Agoos- other than the ponytail on top of the head that he wore for a season, ala Pebbles Flintstone. The fans that MLS will add by Beckham will be those that buy a game ticket or two a season when he comes to town. The fans the MLS needs are those that love the sport and just want to see a good product on display. I am a HS and College coach and would rather watch a EPL game on Fox Sports than go to a MLS game. When the standard of play rises, I will buy season tickets again, as I did before it got too frustrating to watch. I just don't see Beckham really rising the quality of play. As for Ronaldo- he is a long shot as he is meeting with AC Milan about a contract. Zidane, while still having some gas left in the tank, is not interested at all. If he plays again it will be in France. Davids may sign with Dallas hopefully. He will bring a gritty, workmanlike quality and add to team chemistry, even he doesn't even start for Tottenham any more. I would love to see some top players follow suit, but don't see the Beckham signing bringing others here. Maybe some past their prime players, which is not much different than what the NASL failed with.
Decided to be arsed and find a source. According to this the average is 55 minutes. Ball in play
Squealy- are you going to purchase an LA Galaxy Beckham jersey and start to follow MLS? Just answer honestly and I will let it rest. Thanks.
Squealy...nice link. I would have thought it to be a little higher as for actual playing time.
Squealy- are you going to purchase an LA Galaxy Beckham jersey and start to follow MLS? Just answer honestly and I will let it rest. Thanks. Well certainly no to purchasing an LA Galaxy Beckham shirt. But then I've only ever bought one shirt and that was from the team I support - Birmingham City FC. I wouldn't be seen dead in the shirt of any other team (aside from England) or with the name of any player on the back. With regard to the MLS, I've watched games on Channel 5 over here. But they've been in the early hours and I don't think they're even live. It wouldn't surprise me if one of the tv companies here picked up the MLS rights as a result of the Beckham move (and it wouldn't surprise me either if they didn't). We're 8 hours ahead of LA and I'm not sure what the standard kick off time is in the USA. If it's live football and it's a channel I have access to then I might well have a look.
Squealy. Thanks for the answer and Cheers! I will probbaly doing the same thing this Sat at 9am as you are in the evening/afternoon. Watching some EPL (or Coca Cola League) live. Good luck with Birmingham City FC. They are tops of the table now, best of luck advancing.
Well thanks for the best wishes for my team urall. We've had 130 years of mediocrity and it's nice to be top of something for a change. We're looking for an immediate return to the Premiership, and presumably another relegation but with 40m of funds in the bank. Hehe. It's certainly a big weekend of Premiership football. I don't know if you get the same games as we do over here but the big fixtures on Sky (cable) this weekend are Chelsea v Liverpool and Arsenal v Man Utd. They're billing it as Grand Slam Weekend. Also Birmingham feature against Leicester in the Championship, but somehow I doubt that'll be shown worldwide. ;-)
Can I ask a question? Does everyone not realize that even though past his prime, Beckham is internationally recognizable? This signing wasn't about talent, but name recognition. MLS Commish Don Garber would not agree with you. Beckham's decision "has generated more interest in Major League Soccer than any other event in league history," MLS commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday. "We didn't sign David to sell tickets and jerseys. He was signed because he's a world-class soccer player."
I beg to differ with Don Garber. Why would MLS spend that type of money on a player who doesn't start for his club team and relegated from his national team? Yes, it created interest, maybe not the right type. If the Yokomuro Giants (or whoever) signed Roger Clemens for $50 mill a year it would create interest as well. It would not necessarily raise the quality of Japanese baseball. If Olympiakos of the Greece Basketball league signed Michael Jordan for $50 mill it would create news, not necessarily bring bigger names from the NBA to the league. When the J-league brought in big name and past prime talent from Brazil it did nothing to bring the league respectability. What makes the MLS plan of action work any different? I hope it works for the future of the league, cause I want to see it grow and become respectable. yet I still see it as an abortion ready to happen.
As an avid fan of the sport, I watched MLS with gusto before Fox Sports World (now Fox Soccer Channel) made the EPL as accessible to me as it is now. I no longer scramble to see any of the games (with the POSSIBLE exception of playoffs and MLS Cup). I will be one of the fans lured back to the sport mainly to see how Beckham stacks up to what we already have. I suspect he will make a difference, but the play in MLS has greatly improved over the last four years or so. Not to the point where I will turn away from the EPL games. Still , I will watch at least the Galaxy games and hope Beckham justifies some of the money.
Most EPL stars on the downside of their careers would improve their MLS teams because the quality of play here is lower. An English soccer-loving friend and I often discuss where MLS teams would rank if they were part of England's Football Association. I figure they'd be two leagues below the Premiership.
On the news over here they interviewed Steve Nichol, (Liverpool/New England), Frank Yallop, (Ipswich, yay!/LA) and Steve Morrow, (Arsenal/Dallas) and they rated a good MLS side thusly : Nichol : Upper Championship side, challenging for promotion to the Prem. Yallop : Solid Championship side. Morrow : Low Premiership. All three have extensive experience of the English game, to a very high level in the case of Nichol and Morrow and although I won't try to guess where a good MLS team would fit into the English structure I will say that the MLS games I saw during the World Cup were vastly superior to the ones I saw back in about 2001.
Mr. B: interesting, very interesting. More positive than I would have expected, too, though obviously all three have incentives to talk up the level of play in MLS.
I thought about that too - they knew they were going out to an audience, so I expected they'd inflate their opinions, but the Championship is such a melting pot every year that "solid championship side" isn't really that amazing. If you look at the championship table the middle of the pack is nearly always about 10 points behind the playoffs and about 10 points above relegation. I keep telling myself that's "fun and exciting" but my lot are a little too close to the excitement at the bottom this year.
When the J-league brought in big name and past prime talent from Brazil it did nothing to bring the league respectability. That may be true, but what it did do was help to improve the Japanese national team by several orders of magnitude, by introducing more variety and higher quality. This was one of the points I was trying to make earlier in the thread. I figure they'd be two leagues below the Premiership. I don't watch it much, but most "experts" I've heard put it about on a par with the Scottish Premier League, which kind of puts in about the same level as the Championship. Kind of.
Urall, my old friend ;), I think there is a significant difference between MLS and any of J-League and similar national leagues at a business level which your comment does not take into account: MLS has the opportunity to develop a global fan base. I'm not saying that it will ever be achieved but due to American prominence in the global media, size and diversity of its internal market and the number of English speakers worldwide its certainly there. MLS has generally planned its development on this premise though the execution has not been without faults (grumble, San Jose, Miami, Tampa Bay, grumble). The league braintrust may be trying to jump a couple of rungs ahead with this deal, and it may end up another fault, but the increase in overall fan mind share could make it pay off despite your assertion that little girls buying Beckham jerseys will not be a longterm benefit.
point well taken billsays and psm. I still think its way too much money to pay one player for a league that has been pinching pennies for 11 years. Maybe this is what they were saving up for. I really want the whole MLS thing to work as well as build a strong national side. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I still think its way too much money to pay one player for a league that has been pinching pennies for 11 years. Maybe this is what they were saving up for. correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't AEG technically paying the bulk of his salary, with the league itself only chipping in $400,000 per year? it's not like he's going to be draining the resources of MLS. and i would think that AEG has more than enough funds to cover this deal.
Anschutz made his money from energy (oil and gas), railroads and besides indulging a passion for soccer is also funding family-oriented movies, old Phil can afford this. Especially after unloading three of his six franchises.
correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't AEG technically paying the bulk of his salary, with the league itself only chipping in $400,000 per year? That's what I've read as well. it's not like he's going to be draining the resources of MLS. and i would think that AEG has more than enough funds to cover this deal. And there's still debate over AEG's contribution, with American Idol creator Simon Fuller involved.
