Have many people in America heard of David Beckham? He has just signed for an American soccer team. His is the best known sportsman's face on the planet, only rivalled by Ronaldinho's, but we appreciate that there is the planet and then there is the USA. That's a place from which we occasionally get alien visitors (or alien invasions, depending on the venue) but of which we know little The only famous American sports star for us is Tiger Woods but as few people in the world play golf his fame and recognition is limited. *************************************************** 01-12-07, 09:19 AM juanruiz I think over the last couple decades soccer has become more popular in the US, as many communities establish youth soccer programs. This, then, has resulted in growth at the high school and college levels. Success of the women's national team has also sparked interest. That having been said, Beckham and his Spice Girl wife just do not get the press coverage in the US that they do in Europe. So he is mainly known to aficionados of the sport I would imagine. I presume your question is sparked by the recently announced 5 year/$250 million deal he just signed.
01-12-07, 09:22 AM BobLaz Believe me, $250 million opens up a LOT of eyes in the U.S.--a ridiculous amount of money for one person.. Roll Eyes
01-12-07, 10:08 AM aminator2002 That's great news. I thought it was all just rumors during the World Cup that a US team would get Beckham. Our pro league is quite pathetic at the moment, but it's certainly a good sign that we're trying to get in the game.
I'm going to get some tickets now.
01-12-07, 10:24 AM dogspit I doubt it will do all that much for soccer's viewership here. Even when Pelé played in the U.S. (and unlike Beckham he truly was the best of the best) it hardly made more than a short-term ripple in the sports scene. It is likely that his wife Victoria Britney Paris Posh-Beckham will get more press than he will.
01-12-07, 11:02 AM babthrower I only heard of him while watching a video called Bend it like Beckham. My husband explained the expression to me - about the illusion. He's a jock and follows sports.
01-12-07, 12:38 PM juanruiz Just out of curiosity, does the team generate a revenue stream capable of covering that sort of salary, or is the league subventing part of it?
01-12-07, 12:41 PM juanruiz And Beckham's famous midfield goal:
01-12-07, 12:52 PM aminator2002 No, if it was salary there would be no revenue to pay for that kind of salary yet. The deal is for endorsements and salary to a combined total of 250 mil. Beckham will be a great PR guy.
There is only a very limited market here in the US for soccer. Our teams stink and the older generation does not care for soccer. The other thing is that a great deal of interest in sports is partisan and even though Chicago's soccer team has been excellent, nobody really knows anyone that cares. I suspect that the hype of Beckham might get the US audience at least more interested and might actually generate the revenue over 5 years.
I enjoy going to soccer games. Right now it's the cheapest event to get tickets for... I've already looked into getting tickets for the LA Galaxy game.
01-12-07, 01:03 PM juanruiz
quote: nobody really knows anyone that cares.
When interviewed after the announcement, the business manager of the team reportedly said, "We've sold 100 more tickets."
01-12-07, 01:30 PM FredPuli QUOTE]Originally posted by BobLaz: Believe me, $250 million opens up a LOT of eyes in the U.S.--a ridiculous amount of money for one person.. Roll Eyes[/QUOTE]
Not bad for a five year contract, though that figure is not his basic salary.His main value to the clubs now lies in his image and merchandising etc not his playing.
His basic salary with the LA team will be $10 million a year. That's slightly less than his current basic salary with Real Madrid (=$11 million). Forbes Business Magazine put his earnings for 2005-2006 at $27 million (compare Tiger Woods at $90 million, Michael Schumacher at $58 million, Alex Rodriguez at $29 million and Valentino Rossi, the motorcycle rider, at $30 million). The financial attraction for him is that his deal with Real Madrid gave him only 50% of his merchandising rights with the club, the club taking the rest. He can look forward to big earnings from replica shirt sales with the new club. (That's a big part of a soccer star's income. The clubs change the designs of both their home and their away strip every season so that fans and the kids have to buy a new set each year to keep current) Even in the States, where the replica kit is cheaper and the home sales not so great, he would expect $10 million a year from that alone. With a famous club, like Real Madrid or his old club Manchester United, the sales of such kit is worldwide because the clubs are famous worldwide and have enormous fan bases worldwide.The clubs can therefore hold out for only quite small percentages of sale revenue to the star player. This is not the case with the LA team. Then he'll expect another $25 million in new sponsorship deals. He has also got a stockholding in the LA team, valued at anywhere between $10 and $20 million.
This is not a bad deal for someone aged 31 who was only offered a new two year contract with Real Madrid and who has spent most of the season on the bench, playing, if at all, as one of the three substitutes allowed during a game. He has not been a big player in the plans of the new manager that that team has had this season. Beckham's options were to find a British club, but none of the top four wanted or needed him, or go to Italy where a couple of top teams would have taken him. He might have three more seasons at the very top level left in him. He never was a quick player so a loss of speed would not affect his prospects much but there are plenty of up and coming players who show signs of having his vision, his reading of the game, and most have his shot creation i.e the dipping, swerving, going both ways, effort from 25 or 30 metres.His skill there is overrated and no longer exceptional by current standards. Every South American and North African kid nowadays seems to have it. They grow up to play in Europe Big Grin.They come cheaper and have longer career prospects, too.The fact that Beckham played for England's national side last season means little. He will not play again for them anyway but the top sides in England are comprised of players of many nationalities. Few of them field many British players and the top two or three have only two or three Britons as regular first team squad players PS Soccer tickets in England are not cheap. Top price at Chelsea is =$120 and the cheapest adult ticket would be about $40 or $50. Even lesser clubs can be expensive for what they offer. Colchester ranks about 30th and charges about $50 for the best seat (last season they were lower ranked at it was only about $40 top).
01-12-07, 02:25 PM aminator2002 I can get $15 tickets. Razz
01-12-07, 05:00 PM juanruiz One unattributed reaction from another player I heard was: "He's washed up."
01-12-07, 05:55 PM BobLaz Yes, not even the best player in the league--but very symbolic of the society we live in; it's ALL about money and marketing--point blank...Hell--look at his wife--a former "Spice Girl"--a marketing creation if there ever was one.. Big Grin
01-12-07, 06:47 PM Sailracer Bob, one player does not a national sport make; I enjoy soccer, but if the league thinks he will make it a national sport, they are sadly mistaken; it is my understanding that the team is only covering $50 mil (peanuts!) and the rest are endorsements; it will be interesting to see how much his wife figures in those "endorsements"!
01-12-07, 08:53 PM bedstor Haven't posted this. The 2 key words that sum up the marketing and lives of these 2 people is Brand Beckham ...You're going to hear about this almost daily from now on in the Papers
And Ok he's skilful taking free kicks like John Elway , and he's popular with the Press and Kids But He's as you say not an all round player Roll Eyes Ps Have you heard him make an interview yet? Very articulate talker don't you know? Wink
01-12-07, 11:24 PM Tree The team is buying Beckham for his title. They want him to portray sports as Tiger Woods and Wayne Gretzky would. They are merely figure heads and get top dollar for their envolvment with sports.
01-13-07, 04:02 AM FredPuli Hispanics! The press here has been playing up the Hollywood aspects of the Beckhams life and the press here and in the USA has been talking about Pele arriving years ago and how soccer will never catch on. True, it won't. Not with American middle class whites, it won't Smile That's not the market that is immediately hoped for.There are a few Hispanics in America, we understand (42 million ?), their numbers are growing and their historic sporting roots and culture lie in soccer.(How many Hispanics are drawn to play in or watch gridiron? Confused)
Soccer has always been the game of the 'working class' in Britain.It is not played at private schools (rugby and field hockey in Winter, cricket and tennis in Summer. Boys in private schools play soccer only to age 11 years.And they call it soccer: the word is a private school invention from the C19). Even now the middle class does not provide any of the players, however much the money is. (This is less so in France and Italy but it is essentially true even there) It's the game of poor people, the masses, the world over.It's only in recent years that it has attracted others: the people derided by one commentator here as 'the prawn sandwich brigade' (true fans eat meat pies at matches and whenever a player seems a touch slow they all jeer 'Who ate all the pies?' at him Big Grin )As these people have progressed economically so has the game and the fan base.The 'prawn sandwich brigade' are coming.
The ignorance of other Americans is neatly shown by this comment from John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury. He notes that Beckham's pay is roughly double the salary of every single player in the US league last year and asks " Can Becks score 50 times as many goals? I doubt it". Roll Eyes Beckham is an attacking midfielder, a playmaker. He is not there to score goals.That's not his purpose.Oh dear,there is work to be done!
Of course, if Beckham gets soccer moms buying the shirts for the kids that's a bonus.
01-13-07, 09:06 AM juanruiz
quote: They want him to portray sports as Tiger Woods and Wayne Gretzky would. They are merely figure heads and get top dollar for their envolvment with sports.
I'd have to say Woods and Gretzky were more than figure heads, based on their performance.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
The only famous American sports star for us is Tiger Woods but as few people in the world play golf his fame and recognition is limited.
