David Beckham, who is now a lead endorser for Sharpie pens, can now make money without even showing his face. I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. It could be that I've been an avid futbol fan my whole life, as are all my friends, so the Beckham phenomenom in America has been a strange experience for us.
Two years ago, a small percentage of this country had an idea who David Beckham was, and now he is penetrating our mass media with ease. From Armani ads to sunglass promos, he has become the latest foreign import to leverage his success outside of the US to become a superstar in the states, and it has nothing to do with his talent on the field.
I am of the opinion that still only a fraction of the people who discuss the Beckham phenomenom have any idea what he is like on the field, or what his storied futbol career has been about. And I'll be honest and say this bothers me. It has to do with the integrity and beauty of futbol that most Americans will never understand because they are impatient and want high scores and walk off homeruns. It has to do with the fact that there is a rythem and flow to a European futbol match that will probably never cross the Atlantic and make it into Major League Soccer(MLS), the latest home to Beckham's craft.
I'm glad Beckham came to America, I'm glad that every game he plays in here is sold out and that MLS will maybe start earning profit. But I cannot put a price on what it would mean to me and every other futbol fan to have Americans appreciate Beckham as a player, and the role he's played in some of Europe's biggest futbol clubs.
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