Beckham is going to the US

Just saw on TV that Beckham is going to play in the US … he’s getting 1 million US$ a week, for the next 5 years … he says he’s NOT doing it for the money :astonished: but just to chill out from his previous busy carreer, and to help out, jump start US soccer or whatever bull is coming out of his mouth … anyways, let me guess … the money is just a perk that comes with the job … :s

Yea, I saw that on CNN this morning, too. They said it’s a US$250M contract. :astonished:

It’s a lot of money, but probably a good investment. If anyone can succeed in making soccer popular as a spectator sport in the US, bringing in fans, TV viewers and revenue, surely it would be Beckham.

Wasn’t Pele recruited to the US for a huge sum a couple of decades ago for the same purpose? Plus, Beckham’s not just a great player, he’s a celebrity with a celebrity wife, so he should fit right in in LaLa land (that’s where he’s going – LA).

Going to be a bit of animosity on the team when the next highest paid player is only making $900K/year.
Do you think Beckham is going to fly in cattle class with the rest of the team?

$900K? Life sucks!

int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_ … 465324S163

He’s getting “only” 50 million for playing football.

His wife is also tipped to be a Scientologist Bride in some or other movie. They’re friends with the Cruises, you see.

google.co.uk/search?q=victor … 8&oe=utf-8

Hey from what I hear he is a good guy and will probably pay for his team mates to upgrade with him.

So should I go see his team when they play in Toronto?

Beckham, Gretsky, et al. They all come to the USA for the money.

Whether they are a sports player, actor, TV talking head - it makes no difference. Its for the money.

I still think it’s a little ambitious to think that Beckham is going to make soccer a popular spectator sport in the USA.

Beckham is no Pele.

I agree. And hell, even Pele coudn’t get soccer started in the US.

Part of the problem with soccer in the Americas is that here it’s a posh sport (less so in South America and Mexico; in the USA only college or college-bound boys and girls play soccer). Whereas in the UK and Europe its roots ain’t posh by a long shot.

USA soccer will take off when US soccer sees its first white redneck from some Appalachian holler go to the UK and from there dominate UEFA. And he can’t never forget his ma and pa back home, either. Won’t hurt if he’s got a bit of the earnest, sincere, holy roller in him, too. This makes me giggle, btw. :laughing:

Beckham won’t do, unfortunately. I just hope he’s got some leg left. Americans just may be intrigued by a white guy who can boom a 75-yard pass on a dead run and drop the ball bang on his receiver’s toe. Of course, it’ll probably be the penalty shots that first grab our attention – if he’s still got some leg left in him. If he takes off at all here, then the inevitable Beckham career-highlights videos surely can’t hurt. Because the guy could really play back in the day.

It’s a shame, soccer’s a hell of a game.

God, yet another bad actor in the making.

He’s not The ROCK!

[quote=“jdsmith”]God, yet another bad actor in the making.

He’s not The ROCK![/quote]

He??? Prepare for the start of Posh’s “acting” career. :unamused:

How can a soccer player be worth that much money? Good investment? Maybe in Europe, but not in the U.S. He is clearly not worth it anymore in Europe. He’s friggin’ 31 years old. What’s he going to do, really. There are 11 players on the field. How is he worth 250,000,000 bucks? In merchandise? Wouldn’t he get a cut of that on top of his salary, too? And then commericials? That’s on top of everything.

I think it’s a big waste of money. Just goes to prove that owners don’t really make money directly off their teams.

I don’t really think you can compare Beckham and Pele. Ok, Jordan made a ton for playing basketball, but he was worth it. Beckham’s not dominant. No one is in soccer save a few.

It’d be interesting to see what his new soccer team (LA ?) had for attendance last year. Is my peaked interest proving he’s worth it? Nah. Will attendance improve in the league. Maybe for a little while. He’d have to be some sort of 21st century pioneer or something where others greats, used-to-be greats, and futur greats would follow and play in North America. Not going to happen. No one can sit long enough to enjoy one match let alone endure it for years and “pretend” it’s great.

No market it. Even if the U.S. won the World Cup.

Just wanted to remind they have a pro league, so apparently there is a market. Just because it’s not as big as the other 4 pro team sports, doesn’t mean there isn’t a market. You also have to remember the diversity of this country, I’m sure the mexicans would have something to say about that. Every league has growing pains, maybe they can bring some of their American fans back to this league. I’m sure others will follow Beckam’s footsteps.

I should say that there is no market to warrant paying him that much.

What are you going to have? stadiums packed with Mexicans? Mexicans wearing Beckham T-shirts?

Is Beckham going to make the sport grow 50 times what it is now in North America?

Does the average soccer player in this league actually make 1 million US? Wow. I have my doubts, but I guess I don’t really know for sure. These days, anything’s possible, but I don’t really think they could be making anywhere near that.

Are the owners of this LA club going to lose money? Maybe not. We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. We don’t know what deals they make with other teams, other businesses, etc.

250,000,000 is just fucking crazy. For who? A 31-year old footballer? Who’s done what, really? Can he dribble the ball through a sea of players or score a hatrick like Maradona? Is he that dominant? No and no. It’s more embarrassing than anything.

Its a huge amount, sure enough. Maybe he really will be able to make football more popular. I can’t see it, though. But used up footballers have long played out the twilight of their careers in the states – Pele, George Best, Graeme Souness, Bobby Moore, Franz Beckenbauer, for example.
He’ll be back in few years, much richer, as a manager or a TV pundit, when he starts pining for fish and chips or whatever it is those Essex boys eat.

I remember some other guy, too. From Italy, or Argentina, or something. I actually had a nice red, white, and green soccer ball (Wilson?) bought with his name on it. I remember watching a match on TV and he scored on a bicycle kick. He was older then even. I played soccer, but I didn’t follow it, really. His last name started with a “G” and it was long. He might’ve played for the Cosmos or the Sting. Can’t remember.

Just an example of how important the sport is to a Canadian who even played it for a good part of his life. It’s just not a big sell in North America. A big reason why iit grew for youths is that it’s cheap for the parents.

If the U.S. cared enough, they’d generate some better players/teams locally.

If they cared enough??? Every league has imports. They are using an import to develop the game locally and of course the team plans to make money. Is he worth this much, no. He is a highly skilled player. While he is no Maradona or Pele on the field, he can bring more revenue then those two combined off the field. I heard the average salary is $75 000. Chump change in the world of pro sports, about what Beckham gets paid to put on his boots. I think your missing the picture j99l88e77.

It might be a good move.

It’s not that Beckham’s star power will make things better for soccer, though. It’ll be the 250 million dollars.

Why do some kids spend 8 hours a day practicing basketball? Love of the game?
No, love of money.

Kids don’t keep going when they are tired and sore. They go inside and watch TV. But if they have a hope of one day making it big because of their talent, their imagination and aspiration will keep them out there after it’s no longer fun. NBA money makes people willing to work hard and sacrifice. NFL money lets high school coaches push their players and gives them dedication.

Word gets out that you might hit the big time, the prime time by playing soccer, well, you might see a new generation of soccer players.

This investment isn’t sure to have that affect, but then maybe it will.

The contract is not worth $250 million; rather, the total amount that Beckham will make is estimated to be $250 million which includes salary and advertisement endorsements. Most superstar athletes make loads more from endorsements than from their team salary.

It’s hard to believe that Galaxy will be able to afford a $50 million per year contract. After all, the entire 2006 roster payroll of the LA Dodgers is $100 million, and even with Beckham, Galaxy will not be getting fan support anywhere close to the Dodgers.