I found an interesting article on the Los Angeles Times' site today. For those not aware, Major League Soccer (MLS) is about to lose David Beckham, just one year after the soccer coverboy signed a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham was allowed to also play for European powerhouse AC Milan, and now he doesn't want to leave. As the story notes, this looks bad for American soccer because Beckham wanted to be " ... an ambassador for the game here and, hopefully, it is going to encourage other players to come to the States and be part of this because soccer in America can become much bigger." Well, how is that working out? Answer: so well that the ambassador is ready to leave.
Going back to the story, Grahame Jones (the author) reasons that Beckham's departure could bolster soccer in America. While this may be true, the short-term impact could be damaging.
Understand, I am not suggesting that the MLS can not weather Beckham leaving -- in fact, Jones could be right and this situation could end up working in the league's favor. However, check out what Beckham said when pouring accolades on AC Milan and the team's tradition along with the game's worldwide prestige. According to Beckham "... the Americans are trying to improve the level of the game and its reputation ... The American game is very young. I think it needs another 10 years to reach an important level."
Ten years? I'm not sure that the MLS has that amount of time. In late January, ESPN announced that it is doing away with MLS Thursday broadcasts -- hoping that a rotating schedule of games can boost the league's poor TV ratings.
I am also concerned that overexpansion could water down the talent pool, ultimately hurting the league. The league boasts 16 teams (in 2010 after the Seattle and Philadelphia teams join the league)... quite a number of teams for the league that ranks below the National Hockey League (NHL) in popularity (depending on who you ask). Overexpansion hurt the NHL and has some pundits calling for the league to contract teams (please not my Columbus BlueJackets!) - which won't happen, rumors have Kansas City looking to score a team and potentially resurrect the Scouts.
The biggest problem facing the league is the economy... would you buy tickets to a soccer match or food for your family? Your situation may not be that desperate, but it is for some. According to this article, Portland is discussing a $75 million loan (half of which would go to improvements to a soccer stadium), and while the mayor hopes to "insulate the taxpayers from any liability," what if he can't?
For the record, I don't hate soccer -- I don't like it either, but I will watch it if there are no other sports on the TV. I hope that the MLS succeeds, but it certainly seems like the deck is stacked against the league in the short term.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2009 @ 6:58PM
Joe said...
You may want to make a few corrections. 1: Becks has been with the Galaxy 2 years, not one
2: MLS will have 16 teams in 2010, not 22.
2-08-2009 @ 6:38PM
Scott said...
How do you write an article like this and get 2 (approx 50%) of your facts wrong? I stopped reading after the "22 teams" sentence. Prime example why teachers don't like students using the internet for research. Please retract.