More: Seats Merchandise TV Airtime Ad Revenue _____ Will take a long, long time, if ever, to recoup investment.
He'll put butts in seats. I'll buy tickets when LA comes to play Dallas, because my kids will want to see him play. I wouldn't go otherwise. And taking the family to a soccer game is a lot cheaper than taking them to a 'Football' game.
US sports fans just don't care about soccer, never have, never will, no matter how much it's hyped or who they get to play, they just don't care!!!!! I don't care how popular it is throughout the world, US sports fans, DON'T CARE!!!!! Its soccer for cryin' out loud!
Maybe Beckham just wants to be an actor and that's why he's moving to LA Other than the money I see no reason why he would turn down Real Madrid or any other top European team for the Galaxy.
I could see another reason. Beckham is past his prime and not as likely to stand out on the field against the world's best players in a European league. By coming to the Galaxy, he's playing against less a talented pool of players in the MLS where he will most likely still stand out on the field.
real madrid didn't want to resign him. he has been sitting on the bench in real madrid for awhile. most overrated player in recent years. he came here for kids not for the money. he said so. I believe him. Seriously.
Some folks need to wake up. Beckham was the best player in the world - FIVE YEARS AGO. Today he's better than average, but not super-great - not anymore. Beckham will do to the MUSL what Steve Young did to the USFL/LA Express.... As far as 250 million bucks - IF that's the real amount, he only got it because they offered it, if they didn't have it, he would not have gotten it. Tiger Woods isn't worth it, neither is LeBron, or Peyton, or Kimi, or Michael, but they all got it because it was offered.
Its not like that. U get Beckham over there, so sponsors will start coming and throwing money around, buying time on TV and step by step u get the people brainwashed into licking the sport.
On the news this morning. They mentioned that he did sign for that. US$250Mill. Still cant believe it 100%?? Anyways, this is how much he earns in Aussie dollars, as it showed on the news earlier- AU$320 Mill over 5 years. AU$64 Mill per year. AU$1.2 Mill per week. AU$171,428 per day. AU$7145 per hour. AU$119 per minute. Crazy dollars when they break it down like that. He does 10 minutes "work" and earns more than I do in a week.
That would be the dream. He is already house hunting with wifey. I can imagine it wont be a shoebox he will be living in. Probably a mansion in Beverly Hills or wherever the cool new mansions/suburb to live are all at. :
Beckham has always been a better than average player even during his best days. he has never been the best player in the world.
I've heard that a big portion of the salary is being picked up by endorsement deals. Any truth to this? I don't think Beckham was ever the "greatest" player in the world at his prime. Not to say that he wasn't a terrific player who might be the most exciting player with the type of skills he has.
\ Yea, he'll snap his fingers and have a 599GTB show up in his driveway and wonder what all the fuss getting an F-car is about....
I can see why they did it, but I do not see the numbers adding up, as others said. He is being paid more than any other athlete ever, from what I heard. But soccer is probably the least popular major sport in this country. The USA is probably one of the smallest in terms of market penetration of the sport. It doesn't make sense that the biggest contract ever goes with the smallest market. We don't really know what the gamble was until we understand the numbers. Will DB's *team* get income from sponsors (Say, Umbro) paying them to have him wear their gear? Will the *team* get money from selling the rights to games that DB plays in overseas? Maybe DB has a big following and Euro fans will start to want MLS games in their own markets (although I doubt he has THAT much pull). Maybe the $250mm includes a cut of sponsorship deals he does (although I doubt it - MS made more if you include his sponsorships). But, however you slice it, I do not see ANY ROI in ANY amount of time on this deal. Does anyone know how/if the salary is guaranteed? If the league goes bust, does DB get screwed? Is the salary put in escrow somehow or is it otherwise guaranteed? If not, I have serious doubts that DB will actually get all $250mm of that caysh. I can see him being lured into a big gamble and getting stiffed. I think many people have an overestimated opinion of the capability of Soccer to 'work' in the USA.
Jeez, just when you're wondering if this all makes sense for US soccer, throw Scientology into the mix and you can see where some of the money/motivation might be coming from. "Score for Scientology? Cruise may have lured Becks" http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/488357p-411202c.html
here are a few things becks gets his money in : Adidas Police sunglasses Motorola Gillette Pepsi Brylcreem just to name a few....
Beckham is great.... maybe not "the best", but this is his deal. Cant blame him. But remember, he could not do what Bufon and his teammate Cannavaro did last yr for their country, win the World Cup, a true World Cup. Hey, I like football(airball). and basketball, etc, but dont knock soccer cuz you may not get warm fuzzies about it. It is A world class sport. Unlike the pseudo "world series" its pool of competitors dwarfs the pool for baseball, football, and basketball combined. When you are a star like Beckham, Bufon, or Cannavaro you are one from a HUGE world pool in the Billions, not millions. Negative comments at soccer are not appreciated, and ignorance should not be an excuse. Joe PS more kids play soccer than any sport in the US, its just that the other sports developed in large part because of their compatability with commercial advertising to sell beer/etc. Soccer does NOT afford this to Madison Avenue and will never do so.
Fun fact: the baseball World Series is so named because it was originally sponsored by the newspaper "New York World." It's a common error to assume differently.
