Sunday, January 14, 2007

Beckham WTF

David Beckham WTF
First, my bona fides.  Mother Superior and I were soccer parents.  Three of our kids were on "traveling teams," playing in tournaments from Canada to Mexico, and for their high school teams.  We put 1,764,254 miles on the family wagon following them around.  We loved every minute of it, and had great times with that fraternity.  I can and do appreciate the skills and nuances. and don't write it off, as do so many of us Nort Americanos. as too slow, and too boring.

I don't get David Beckham.

First, he's washed up in Europe.  Second, he doesn't have near the cachet in the United States that Pele did.  So how is he worth $50 million.a year playing for some California soccer team I never heard of (okay, I guess I don't like soccer that much)? Wouldn't anyone who loves Beckham already be attending these pro games?  Is he going to get the NASCAR crowd to switch?  I thought Sirius Radio was nuts to pay Howard Stern $500 million, but, my dislike for Howard aside, could at least see  the reasoning.  This, no way.  I think more than Tom Cruise will end up getting screwed by this guy.

That's all.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know Rodger,I think it was a pretty good move on their part. MLS has been doing some things lately to raise their profile and Beckham is a 'star' in soccer-- especially among the younger set. Probably not on the same level as Pele skillwise but certainly knows how to generate publicity.

Combined with the purchase of DC United by a group including Christain Laettner this week-- MLS has been in the news a good bit.

I've never cared much about MLS but then I tend to think all professional athletes are little more than whores getting paid to do what others do for love. I much prefer high school, club and college sports- but that's just me.

TFV

oy vey ole' said...

Yawn.

Anonymous said...

I have to be honest. I think it has to be some kind of joke. I have tried to watch Soccer but would prefer to sit by the road and watch dust settle after cars or trucks pass by. I know I know, I am a true barbarian.

Anonymous said...

It never fails to amaze me that so many times the same people that complain about soccer being 'boring' will watch a baseball game. WTF??

Baseball???

TFV

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Hold on there Missy. Baseball is perhaps the greatest sport ever played. Like soccer it offers delightful nuances for the real aficionado, but unlike soccer anybody can appreciate it after watching just a few games. I love baseball. Baseball is America.

Anonymous said...

As you know Rog, the devil is in the details. You name the price, I'll name the terms. Let's see how much oof he takes back to Blighty.

Casca

Anonymous said...

We fixed "Criket" and "Futball" by inventing Baseball and Football.
Some people still hunt with rocks and sticks but most Americans prefer firearms. Rocks and sticks are for throwing at criket and futball players.

Anonymous said...

How's this for a slogan? Soccer-- the sport for people too attention deficit to watch baseball.

TFV

Rodger the Real King of France said...

You are a saucy one, you are.

oy vey ole' said...

LA Galaxy's premium seats are going for $4,000. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

Saucy? I thought I was cheeky?

Actually those of some of the nicer terms that have described me!

TFV

Anonymous said...

I love baseball and basketball. Just not the type played by professional U.S. athletes (steroid monkeys).

Everyone keeps saying how soccer will eventually catch on because of the high number of youth soccer players. But they've been saying that for 20 years and it still has yet to catch on. My 12 year old has been playing year round for 6 years. When the World Cup was on I thought I'd be the good Dad and turn it on and watch with him. After 5 minutes he decided he'd rather be on the XBox and he hasn't watched a minute of soccer since.

Anonymous said...

Becks is not some one-hit wonder, that man can play. He's a true superstar. I'm thrilled that he's coming this side of the pond, can't wait. (Plus we just gave a huge fuck you to Real Madrid, that's always nice.)

Anonymous said...

To be honest, if I hadn't watched my youngest son play since he was 3 I doubt that I would love the game as much as I do.

That being said-- soccer is hard to watch on TV-- even for die-hard fans. This year's World Cup was the first soccer games I've watched on TV for any extended period.

TFV

Anonymous said...

For some reason college baseball is more fun to me than the pros. Just like college football. I like both but love the college games. Also Ultimate leader Rodger stated it correctly concerning baseball. Lord I am such a suck up.

Anonymous said...

Okay... can you name any other business deal that gets "Posh Spice" thrown in as a freebie?

And if you think her 'skankish' or something, that fine with me. That much less competition.

Dr.Hardcrab said...

>>>
We did the travel team thing for 3 years. Mrs. Claws was the true soccer mom so she did most of the driving. 90 minutes one way, 3 times a week. That didin't include the tournaments all over the US. He played for Bethesda with Freddy Adu before he hit the newspapers. It paid off and next season will be his senior year with Clemson (I WANTED him to go to MD, but the starting guy in his position was a freshman. He didn't want to sit the bench.)

He's lost 3 roommates to the pros. The wife says she hates to see that happen to a kid. Not finish school and all. I told her that I kick my son's ass if he says no to a contract before finishing. You can always finish later.

I think all of the running around paid off. Thing is: We have an 8 year old (can't figure out how he happened) that's the mirror image of his older brother and is already living and breathing soccer. I'll push for Maryland with him...;-]

I think Beckham will help build up the attendance to games. Lord knows they need it. HOWEVER! I question the sanity of the person that will pay him somewhere around $140,000 A DAY!!! for the next 5 years.

Beckham and Cruise? They will probably be secret lovers. But if David starts jumping on couches, he's going to lose his fan base...

>>>

Kim du Toit said...

"Football is perhaps the greatest sport ever played. Like baseball it offers delightful nuances for the real aficionado, but unlike baseball anybody can appreciate it after watching just a few games."

[/New York Times]

1. It's "football", not soccer. Unlike gridiron "foot"-ball, where the ball is only kicked about five times per game.

2. Most of today's steroid-enhanced gridiron "foot"-ball players would run wailing home to Mommy if they had to play a single half of a rugby match (no padding, no substitutions, no TV commercial breaks).

3. Top-league football players (eg. in the English Premier League) play upwards of sixty first-class matches a year -- more if they are also picked to represent their country.

4. Professional football is more capitalist than gridiron "foot"-ball -- there's no socialist-style "draft" to create "parity" (ie. redistribution of wealth): the rich teams stay rich and buy all the good players, the poor teams suck the hind tit, which is as it should be.

5. Baseball was not invented by Americans -- a foul lie -- it was derived from a GIRL'S gane called "rounders", which was played as far back as 1650 in England.

6. Baseball is "Cricket For Dummies".

Dr.Hardcrab said...

>>>

I was over at friend's house Saturday morning watching Premier League Footbal (Go Manchester U!!!). He's here with the RAF and misses his beloved home, but even HE said cricket is for pussies....

>>>

Anonymous said...

To be fair most Ruby players would not make it through a professional football game either they have never been exposed to the speed and power of these players. Many would end up hurt.
'To me soccer is boring guys running up and down a field kicking a ball. It has no where near the appeal of American football. The passing plays have speed beauty and grace. Running plays have all that plus brute strength as well. It also requires more of a team effort. I would also be remiss if i did not point out that baseball was really invented in 931 Ad in Greece it was Bugga then.

Anonymous said...

What a great story Doc! Out of all the thousands of kids playing soccer on the weekends so few actually end up playing for big name schools. That is really something to be proud of.

Last year I was 'team mom' for my son's varsity team and had the team over for dinner several times during the season to build unity.

After the season was over I hosted a pool/hot tub party for the guys to just kick back and relax and celebrate our season. Unfortunately it was the first day of the World Cup-- you couldn't budge them from the TV!

TFV

Dr.Hardcrab said...

>>

Oh, yes! I know about those "team parties"! It was either pizza, a big pot of spaghetti, or Stauffer's frozen lasagna. Couple times a year. We still keep in contact with all of the club team members from the past.
Kind of strange going to my son's games and seeing at least two of "our kids" playing on the other team. Most of them ended up at the ACC schools. You root for the son's team and then hang out at the opposing team's locker room to say hi to the other kids and their parents.
Now if my son could just get picked up by a pro team and get 1/100 of the pay Beckham is getting.....

;-]

>>>

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Bethesda, huh? We kicked your ass.

Dr.Hardcrab said...

>>>

Not back then. They went all the way to the Nationals and won. He played for Bowie and Reston too.

Not trying to start something (heh-heh) but look on the U of MD website and see how the match with Clemson came out this past year....

;-]

(I bleed like a turtle, but my wallet has a tiger paw on it....)

>>>

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