Something 'bout those little pills unreal the thrills they yield until they kill a million brain cells...
Yes, it's true, the Beckham Rule has indeed been invoked... by this I mean MLS's new salary cap exemption for a single franchise player who can be paid whatever the club wishes, without regard to the $2.3m salary cap. Recently introduced, the rule was intended to facilitate bringing to MLS international media darlings whose presence and financial demands might skew the competitive and financial balance of the league's franchises, but would like the tide, raise the profile of the whole enterprise enough to be in the best interests of both New York and Salt Lake City. It was nicknamed the Beckham Rule because the eponymous footballer was the obvious target: a huge English-language media figure who's clearly lost a step, married to a has-been pop singer, both of whom are hungry for a new market.
I'm not knocking Beckham, I think it's possible he's made a very ambitious, and also very brave choice, if he's coming here with the idea of being the face of the new era of American soccer. Even after the New York Cosmos, the World Cup, and ten years of MLS, there's still room to be the guy who brought football to the colonies, and the media savvy of the Beckhams will serve them well. Beckham was long regarded as the key player to selling European football in Asia, and if he wants to market himself in America, this is the only way to do it. I do think it took some self-awareness and some guts to sign a 5-year deal with MLS, for a big name to acknowledge that his time with the English national team and in the big show in Europe is done, that he'll never lead England to a trophy (not after the momentum shift once Aaron Lennon came on for him in the World Cup). Admittedly, the gigantic sack of cash he's getting probably helps too, upwards of $250m over five years in salary, endorsements, and a share of club profits, assuming things work out.
Beckham also has the advantage of a distinct ability, which is obvious to even casual fans: his crosses and free kicks. Given enough space to work, Beckham's precision passing for England this summer was still something to see, and in MLS, he's more likely to be able to create that space and to play with the high work-rate he used to. Beckham's assists are something that can make mainstream media highlights, which MLS doesn't do a whole lot now. Previously, it seemed the trickle of European players heading to MLS had dried up, after too many of them didn't make the cut. The last one I think I paid any attention to was when the Grim Reaper left Arsenal for the Colorado Rapids, but made it like a week before he ran back to France, so it's nice to see somebody who's still interested in playing come over, and hopefully set a high standard in the wake of a few more of the league's current stars finding their way over to Europe.
I don't know how this will turn out, if Posh & Becks will be loved or ridiculed by America, if he'll really shine or just phone it in, or be hacked to death every time he touches the ball, if this will raise the profile of the LA Galaxy or MLS at all. I will watch him play, though, and I usually pay pay a lot more attention to women's basketball than I do MLS. At least nobody will tell me the score of an LA Galaxy game when I tivo it.
Continuing my Beckham-related thoughts later, one factor I didn't consider is who is he going to play against? This league had a rivalry for about a week when DC United were the cream of MLS and the Chicago Fire beat them in the final, but I've never heard much else. The geographic separation of all the franchises really hurts. There was some talk of Beckham urging some other aging Galacticos like Luis Figo to come over and spark up MLS, and if Becks is the first of a series of former stars, it would be huge in giving a face to every team. There are plenty of players who take off for one more year in the sun in Qatar or Saudi Arabia, with the salary cap exemption, New York and San Francisco should be able to compete with Dubai. Kansas City and Dallas maybe not so much.
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