As David Beckham's management team ponders a temporary or permant shift back to Europe…this time for AC Milan…the LA Times has a piece on the value that he has brought to the Galaxy and whether or not its time for the legendary star to go back overseas. The piece raises lots of questions about what Beckham actually brought to the sport in this country and did the lack of success hinder progress for the franchise or MLS. There is no doubt that Beckham made a splash for soccer for the short term in this country that got MLS water cooler talk they would never have gotten last year otherwise.The problem is in this 24/7 worl.people look for the quick fix, and the staff at MLS and Soccer United Marketing have spent years slowly building and nuturing a brand to avoid the quick splash and flameout that has followed so many spectacles in sports and entertainment (read the MMA piece below). Was the Beckham situation…an aging star with lots of masters to serve…the best for ML.? No. It would be much better to get…aka pay for…a young star to grow, and those things are slowly happening. But to deny that Beckham's presence moved MLS up the latter, broiught in much needed funds and media exposure would be silly, and hopefully there were thouands of kids exposed to him and the MLS brand that may not have gone to a match before who now have a better affinity to the pro game…almost as much as they have to playing soccer in local towns nationwide.
Some other good reads…Stan Hochman has a good set of reviews of the films for the US Sports Film Festival, which starts today in Philly…the Vancouver Sun has an interesting piece on how the slumping Canadian dollar is impacting American CFL players…Breeder's Cup this weekend, Kentucky.com has a good profile and q and a with CEO Greg Avioli.
