Beckham vs. His Duty

So here is my latest problem with David Beckham. Shaq has recently called out Beckham to shoot free kicks on him for Shaq's new show "Shaq vs." David has declined, saying that "Kobe could score against him." I don't have a problem with his words, but I have a major problem with his action of declining. Here is a man who was brought into America and was quoted as wanting to be the Ambassador of Soccer for America. Following that logic, why is Beckham declining to go on a show with one of the most popular basketball players? If he were to go on the show, he has one more opportunity to expose the country to soccer, and the basketball market is a large one. What the gaLAxy and MLS are paying Beckham for is exposure, and he cerainly has not been helping them as of late with fighting with fans and wanting to go back to Milan. The least he could do is go one Shaq's show, which will take a day of his life, get paid for it, and help expose America to soccer, especially Beckham's notable free kicks. What does he have to lose? It is clear to me that he does not want to be in this country anymore and is finished trying to expose America to soccer.

Beckham Move Hurts MLS

The agreement between AC Milan, the Los Angeles gaLAxy, and David Beckham allows Beckham to stay at Milan until the end of the season and return during the summer window in mid-July to the gaLAxy. The agreement includes buyout money from Mr. Posh himself, which speaks loudly as to how much he wanted out of LA. But this was not the most unnerving aspect of the deal. The gaLAxy scored a summer friendly with AC Milan on July 19 as part of the deal. The previously scheduled SATURDAY match with the Red Bulls was moved to THURSDAY. Therefore, the league moved a date for Becks in New York. While ESPN will be clamoring to adjust the schedule and pick up this Thursday night game, the fans who wanted to attend this game lose out by putting it on a week night...in the biggest market in the league. The league will forgo a sold out Giants Stadium for a cacophonous shell of a stadium. The league and the fans lose on this deal.

Impact of Beckham

Beckham scored again today for AC Milan and I feel this all but solidified his move to Milan permanently. He has called the gaLAxy "frustrating", and I totally agree. In fact, I am sort of sick of the Beckham circus that surrounds the team. Yes, he is still a great player and nobody plays a better dead ball than him. But I feel that he cannot exist on a team in MLS that does not have Landon Donovan (which is all but likely).

This is a very good time for the gaLAxy for to start from scratch with their Designated Player slot. Michael Owen would be an excellent replacement for Donovan. While he doesn't have the star power that Beckham does, he will give the gaLAxy plenty of goals.

Now, does Beckham leaving hurt the MLS? I believe it does right now, as the network is already scrambling with poor ESPN ratings. Beckham is the only player that could consistently sell tickets. I don't believe the gaLAxy will have ticket trouble at home, but the hosting teams will see a significant drop off when LA comes to town. Less tickets means less revenue and no Beckham means less attention. However, I think with less media attention on the team, the gaLAxy themselves will play better. So for the league, it will hurt significantly. But the team has nowhere to go but up, and in the long run, LA playing well has done well for the league.

Beckham Effects

My main impression with Beckham going to AC Milan is that Mathieu Flamini really screwed up leaving Arsenal for Milan. Against Roma, Flamini was brought on the field in the 89th minute as a substitute for Beckham. If he wants playing time, staying at Arsenal would have been the better move for him. Now he is a substitute for a 3-month loan player who is 33 years old. Probably not the best move on his part.