Beckham Can't Save American Soccer

Since signing a 5-year $250 million dollar deal to play for the LA Galaxy, Americans have awaited the day that David Beckham makes his MLS debut. That day finally arrived Saturday when Beckham entered the game against Chelsea for 12 uneventful minutes. The supposed savior of American soccer was sitting on the sideline for most of the game counting his millions while soccer fans in anticipation of his entry into the game, pondered in the back of their minds if the multi-million dollar deal was worth it.

One man cannot save American soccer. Major League Soccer is putting such high expectations on Beckham for him to single-handedly improve and popularize a sport that is well below many other American sports in popularity. The three headed monster of basketball, football, and baseball cannot be toped in popularity. NASCAR is pushing hockey for 4th with golf and tennis following close behind. Farther down the list and well below the popularity of the three headed monster is volleyball, bowling, and lacrosse which is then followed by a high-rising poker, and finally near the bottom of the contest sandwiched between trick style billiards and synchronized swimming is soccer.

Soccer is the only sport on earth where any average man can look like a superstar. Without even touching the ball and running hard for 90 minutes, any average Joe can be considered a professional soccer player. This is not the case in basketball where if an average Joe stepped on a court, Lebron James would have a field day running past him with ease and dunking over him. If an average Joe stepped on a football field, he would be pummeled by opposing linebackers going across the middle for a pass.

MLS has dealt out its share of money to bring a soccer icon across the pond to resurrect a sport in need of a spark. That's a trick the league seldom has been able to pull off, and it is a trick that other sports leagues in the country use quite often. The big payout will come ineffectively though as Beckham might popularize soccer at first, but will go back to the wayside just as puffy pants and the XFL before it. If Pele couldn't popularize American soccer in the 1970s, then Beckham has no chance. I say send Beckham back across the pond, we don't want him here.