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01/11/2007: "The Beckhams are Coming! The Beckhams are Coming!"

It's been a long time since I've been able to talk about good news when it comes to professional football in Los Angeles. Of course, this news doesn't include the NFL ...

In a move that transcends sports and will make front page headlines around the world, David Beckham - recent captain of the English national soccer team, Spice Girl husband and possibly the most famous athlete in the world - has signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the Major League Soccer league. If all elements of the contract are met, the total worth can be as much as $250 million.

The next few days will see the impact of this deal debated in many ways. How will it impact Beckham the athlete and Beckham the celebrity. What can Beckham bring to the Galaxy and soccer in America, and how will his signing be seen by other premier league players who might also be looking to cross the pond?

The obvious comparison is to the effort by the New York Cosmos of the old NASL to bring Pele', Franz Beckenbauer and others to America in the late '70s. In that case, the results were mixed - much initial publicity, but the financial drag of the contracts bankrupted the team and ultimately the league. Also, some of the stars - Pele' in particular - were well beyond their prime when they arrived in New York.

Beckham is as big a name as there is in the sport, but he's only 31 and less than a year removed from the captaincy of his national team. While clearly not the player he was at 25, his style - that of a playmaker rather than a breakaway threat - should let his competitive career last longer than flashier players. And his freekick - deadly enough to inspire the movie "Bend It Like Beckham" is as dangerous as ever.

In a lot of ways, the best comparison is really to the decision by Wayne Gretzky to leave the Edmonton Oilers to come and play for the Los Angeles Kings. While still a premier player, Gretzky's best scoring seasons were behind him when he arrived in town. And, like Beckham, Gretzky's trophy wife had a desire to chase the bright lights in Hollywood. While Janet Jones might have never become a household name, everyone knows Victoria Beckham - the former Posh Spice - and you just know the celebrity couple will garner their share of ink.

I don't know how it will all pan out. Will we see this trade in the future as the watershed moment for soccer in America? Will it have the same impact for the MLS as the Gretzky trade in legitimizing hockey in the West? Or will we look back on this the way we do the great Lakers experiment of a few years ago when Gary Payton and Karl Malone were brought in to join Kobe and Shaq as an uber-team that ultimately self-destructed. Only time will tell, but it should be an interesting ride ...

UPDATE (1-12): Think it's no big deal that Becks and Posh are relocating to LA? Consider the following:

Point #1 - The Galaxy sold 1000 season tickets yesterday afternoon - and Beckham won't even come over until the 2/3 point in the season!

Point #2 - LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office issued a press release on the subject. The first word in the release? “G o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o a l ! !”

It's gonna be a wild ride ...