Posted on 10/16/2009 8:58:45 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
The Los Angeles Galaxy star came in the top ten of what one U.S. magazine called the biggest 'busts, choke artists'.
U.S. based Maxim magazine said Beckham's move to the Los Angeles team was nothing short of a 'catastrophe'.
After all the publicity about his £125m move, it said the former Manchester United star has failed miserably to make football - or soccer as it is called in the US - more attractive to fans.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Of course there’s like 5 times as many cable channels, and 10 times as many sports channels, as there was in 1987. They’ve got to fill the hours with something. There’s a lot of weird stuff in the high reaches of the cable dial at midnight.
That would be a play-maker. Really good ones are rare, but they can make a team......and yes, hardly ever score. They can be sooooooo fun to watch!
I didn’t say he could control the fans. But they brought him over here at great expense as a draw, and he didn’t draw, that would make him a bust.
Before that I thought it was supposed to be Cobi Jones, Eric Wynalda, and Alexi Lalas.
-PJ
It’s going to take national team success to get soccer to the next level of popularity, and by that, I mean making it to at least the World Cup semis (We were so close in 2000, we made the final eight, and even the Germans admitted we outplayed them in the quarters). Then you’ll have US stars that are marketable names. It might not help the MLS, since most of our best players will play in Europe professionally.
Now the one thing I think could help the MLS, is opening up the UEFA Champions League to teams outside of Europe. Imagine if a MLS team is in the group stage with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, etc.
For any player, that is the real show, and the best players won’t play here, because it denies them the opportunity to play on professional soccer’s biggest stage. But now if you suddenly opened that up, then we could get our share of the world’s best players, and in their prime. But that scenario wouldn’t come to fruition until at least the next 10-20 years.
ESPN2 at the higher reaches of the cable dial? The UEFA Champions League Final was carried on ESPN, and was one of the highest-rated events for the year outside of NFL Football.
Unfortunately one of the US players I had a lot of high hopes for, Charlie Davies, was just involved in a bad auto accident, which most likely ended his career.
we all play soccer as kids but we grow out of it and go on to play other sports. soccer is just not a game that americans identify with. football is a perfect american game. soccer is european and south american.
Will never happen here. But the European teams do look to the US market, more and more Americans follow the EPL, I see a lot of people, even here in Dallas walking around wearing Manchester United, or FC Barcelona jerseys.
Truly sad, and the thing is, Charlie, the person, is a really nice guy, humble.
That was a nice tribute from the US fans against Costa Rica, when at the 9th minute (9 being Charlie’s number) they all stood up and applauded Charlie. Very touching.
Fox Soccer? ESPN Desportes? And ESPN2 didn’t exist in 1987 when his comparison period started.
Partly agree...but it’s never at midnight now. I also know many traditional sports fans that have come to really enjoy an EPL game.
ESPN/2 never showed EPL games. I could find lawnmower racing first, literally! ...the evening spots have EPL highlights, they wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t getting enough requests for it. No way is it the same as 1987.
A bust is a bust is a bust. He didn’t do what they wanted him to do. And really some of that is his fault. Part of a player growing a sport is being an ambassador for it, that’s why Gretzky had such an impact on hockey’s popularity in the US. Gretz gave a lot of interviews, was highly approachable, and always friendly. When Beckham came over he really didn’t do that.
Of course now ESPN has the EPL rights in Britain. That would be like BBC America broadcasting NFL games here.
I hadn't thought about it that way. Good point.
Well if it’s going to be live from Europe it’s probably going to be at an inconvenient time here.
No it’s not the same as 1987. But that doesn’t mean it’s actually popular, or ever will be. It’s just not an American sport.
The current Earthquakes are a perrenial last-place team. We just lost the best player to a career-ending hip injury.
-PJ
Rooney is my favorite player, love watching him. And I’ve been converted into a big “Three Lions” follower, I think it will be an England-Brazil final next year.
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