Beckham; A New American Sports Star?

We call it soccer while the rest of the world calls it football, but most Americans would call boring until the last few weeks, that is. I was very skeptical that any sports star could be worth 200 million dollars, let alone one who plays in the MLS.

MLS stands for Major League Soccer, the name of the professional soccer league in the United States. Weird, huh?

According to my high school baseball coach (in Tennessee) "soccer is a commie sport like figure skating". No one ever tried to argue with him mostly because we didn't care. When I lived in Central America I was exposed to soccer/futbol fanaticism that I had no idea existed. At a game in Tegucigalpa, Honduras all of the men lined up above the tunnel as the opposing team took the field. When they passed below the men urinated on the players passing below them. I've been in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium and Wriggly Field, but even people at the rowdiest U.S. sporting events there seems to be a tacit agreement that using ones bodily fluids as a weapon is across the proverbial line.

Not in soccer.

Last week I was invited to a LA Galaxy, DC United game. It was rumored to be the first game that David Beckham would take the field in. DC United is known for having the best soccer fans in the U.S.; they normally sell about ten thousand seats and are considered the Yankees of the league. This game was the third time in their history that they sold out RFK stadium. They have won the championship four times in the last ten years.

When Beckham emerged from the tunnel dressed in full uniform for the first time, the crowd erupted into boos. There was no urination but there was a huge sign probably 100 feet long saying "We Sing Better Than Your Wife," held up by the DC fanatics.

The funny thing is that when he looked up to the booing crowd, smiled and waved, 45 thousand fans collectively blushed and instantly started cheering. I have never seen anything like it, there were more man crushes than a gay right parade. He won over 45 thousand people with a grin and a wave.

A heard of photographers tripped over themselves to get shots of him as he limped around the field. When he got up just before the second half to stretch, the crowd erupted again. And then it started raining, hard. The ten people that left during the downpour missed Beckham's U.S. debut in the second half which was somehow both lackluster and completely satisfying.

Last night Beckham took his first free kick in the United States. That of course is where the opposing players line up and cover their crotches while the other guy blasts it at them at which time it normally bounces off someone's face and the game resumes.

Remember this is the first time that he has taken one of these in the U.S. and the guy still has torn muscles in his ankle.

He blasts a kick and the term "bend it like Beckham" suddenly makes sense. He curves it over the players and into the side of the net like a Pedro Martinez slider. And he does it with his feet. The goalie just stood there. He raised his hands in exasperation. What was he going to do? STOP IT?

This guy is not just filling seats he is making Americans discover soccer. And with every other major sport riddled in scandle and controversy, why not soccer? I, for one, plan on checking out a few more DC United games. And even if I decided to piss on the oposing team, all I would have to worry about are skinny quick dudes that probably dance well, not roided-out dog murderers.

-lagan