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Will David Beckham Raise Respect For American Soccer?

Stephany Springer

The media has been swarming to welcome America's newest royal couple, David and Victoria Beckham, to Los Angeles. Victoria (Posh Spice from The Spice Girls) has already been sharing her sense of humor on American radio and TV show, while her celebrity husband flashes his million dollar smiles in front of the cameras while sporting a new L.A. Galaxy uniform.

It has been a response like never before as Americans lined the airport for their arrival, staying glued to the internet and TV, watching his every move. It is almost like the couple is the King and Queen of England coming to the states for the first time.

So what is the point of all of this? Why are Americans so excited about Beckham?

For Major League Soccer, the point is simple. Beckham is the man they hope will bring them the big bucks. That will take the sport from being barely noticed or talked about to being one of the major sports in America. Their hope is that soccer will be as big as baseball or football in a country where those two sports have dominated for decades.

Can one man really make that much difference? Well, we have seen it time and time again. Andre Agassi had no problem making tennis a household name. He's been retired for years and can still be seen on commercials. Tiger Woods made children everywhere, regardles of race, sign up for golf lessons in hopes to achieve half of what he has. So can one man make a difference? Most certainly.

Is David Beckham that man? Well, I believe the jury is still out on that. He has the looks, the model wife, the perfect family, some talent, but is that enough? Beckham has a history of coming up short in games. He was traded from his original team Manchester United in England after losing his temper. He sat out a lot of games during his stay at Real Madrid. He has an affair in his past and some issues with his temper. It is my hope that all of that were childish mistakes and now that he is older and more mature, those type of attitudes will not be displayed in the states. So I guess the real question is: Are looks enough to bring a sport to a new level?

Compared to other American soccer players, he is talented. Although I seriously doubt that he is good enough to handle some of the defensive players in the league. However, as a soccer mom and a fan of the game, I hope he proves me wrong. I hope he does bring the game to the sellout level that Major League Soccer so needs to survive in this country. I hope MLS becomes a household name. I hope David Beckham becomes a role model that I am proud to have my son look up to.

Beckham has already convinced ESPN as well as Fox Sports that he is the man who will save soccer. ESPN has added an extra cameraman whose job in his first soccer game is to stay on Beckham to showcase his every move. His arrival was covered live on Fox Soccer and the reporter was jumping with excitement reporting the story. His press conference was also covered live on ESPN. His wife has been on the Today Show, local radio shows and in the newspaper since arriving.

My personal hope is that Beckham is one celebrity that isn't about the money (although he is reported to be worth $300 million) or about the politics or image that he portrays. Instead I hope he exemplifies someone who shows a love for the game, a hard work ethic and is a stellar family man that he already claims to be for the media.

Unfortunately, now it is a sit and wait game. As we sit and wait, we can feel good that Beckham so far sees his role or goal as raising the profile of American soccer. He recently stated on his blog at www.davidbeckham.com, "I now have a great opportunity to raise the profile of football in America, (or soccer I should say) and that's something I'm genuinely excited about."

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