Mar 9th 2009 By Asylum Staff

Is David Beckham Giving the MLS the Shaft?

Yesterday it was announced that David Beckham would stay on with Italian soccer club AC Milan, rather than return to the Los Angeles Galaxy to begin the MLS season. The original deal was to have Becks on loan to the Italian team for a short time. Now, he will come back in July nearly halfway through the MLS season. Upon hearing that his coach and Galaxy general manager agreed to let him finish the season in Italy, Mr. Posh Spice said, ''I'm grateful to both clubs for allowing this dream to come true," which roughly translates to, "I'm grateful I don't have to return to the nightmare that is meaningless American soccer."

If calling it a nightmare is an overstatement, than let's just say the MLS is not Beckham's priority, even though he signed a $250 million deal with the Galaxy to play alongside guys who make as little at $15,000. He has sold a lot of Galaxy jerseys, but is that enough considering he's still got three years on his Galaxy contract?

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Tags: ac milan - AcMilan - david beckham - DavidBeckham - los angeles galaxy - LosAngelesGalaxy - soccer

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Monday 09 March

By zeke

Neutral

Please let him go and never mention this PR farce gone wrong.

Beckham was brought over as a marketing gimmick for soccer moms.
Every soccer fan knows his fame was always greater than his game which is mediocre at best.
He is a world class free kicker but as a midfielder he is very average and even in a D level league like the MLS he could barely stand out from the other mediocrity. He never looked like he was 'too good' for the MLS.

What can he do this year for the MLS?
He will never deliver highlight reel material like a Zidane, Messi or Kaka apart from a FK or two. He wont carry his moribund LA team because he's not that kind of player. He has used up all the PR he can get with the Cruise's and Snoop Dogg's and the odd Tonight Show appearance or two.

But why?

PS: Maybe the MLS isnt D league but the italian league cant be as tough as they claim it is.

Monday 09 March

By Sam

Neutral

It'd be funny if Milan came through for a friendly against the Galaxy sometime next season. Hell, Genoa, Fiorentina, Inter, Juvenuts, Roma, would trash any MLS side. That'd be interesting to see actually. Don't let the Galaxy v Chelsea game fool you. The MLS need to have those special friendlies in the middle of the season instead of during the other team's preseason when nobody is on form.

Monday 09 March

By tslexiegillmore

Neutral

Look in this country soccer will always be a bottom rung sport. MLS brought in Pele a far better player and he didn't do a thing to increse intrest in the MLS. No one will ever be able to pull MLS out of the basement. Americans don't give a crap about soccer we have baseball, football and (gag me with a spoon) basketball, American sports not a europen sport.

Monday 09 March

By dee

Neutral

C'mon, soccer sux! Baseball, Hockey, Basketball and Football (not futbal), these are real American sports. Who gives a rats ass about soccer? C'mon! Go back to the Queen!

Monday 09 March

By JoeCoolTM

Neutral

David Beckham is definately not in the wrong here.
The only reason half of america knows him is because girls go crazy just because of his looks. The MLS is one of the lamest leagues of soccer there is. Every team sucks for the most part. Leagues like the spanish primera, italy serie A, and the F.A. Premeirship, now those are leagues.Just because he wants to play on a winning team with the chance for another title before he gets too old doesnt make him in the wrong.

Monday 09 March

By candy

Neutral

Soccer? Sorry. Send him overseas with that untalented wife of his and their little children. I wish Obama could do something to cap the salaries of sports players and entertainers - say, how about they can make $500,000 a year? See how many of them stay in it then. I say farewell, don't let the dorr hit you in the butt on the way out!

Monday 09 March

By John Satek

Neutral

I agree with Zeke. Beckham is mediocre at best, even for the MLS. He's brittle, can't handle a tough challenge, and shies away from 50/50's. I don't think he'll see too much time in Serie A; he'll get hit once and break a nail and be out for the season. With that said, he did make a deal with the MLS, and he should stay...on the bench...for the duration of his contract.

Monday 09 March

By Sam

Neutral

The MLS isn't paying Becks $250 mil. $25 mil for 5 years. The rest is what he stands to make, or the max that he could've made with all the of the other endorsement deals and advertising deals that he would be doing through the Galaxy, the league, and his agency.

I don't even know why I'm trying to convince people but Lalas himself said that the Galaxy have already made back the entirety of the contract fee from all of the shirts and merchandise that they've sold.

I find it pretty funny that the same guys who didn't want a washed up old Beckham in the league are now angry that he's leaving because he was apparently supposed to singlehandedly catapult the MLS to an elite status. Problem is there are only 10 players in the league, including Becks, who could play for a top to mid-table side in Europe. There's a reason why the best players in the MLS ALL LEAVE.

And then there's the issue with Lalas and the front office of the Galaxy surrounding Beckham and Donovan (who helped the team to the best offense in the MLS) with rec-center caliber players.