There can be no doubt that David Beckham is one of the greatest soccer players of our age. His abilities stand above most other players. His ability to draw crowds and fans cannot be overlooked either. Yet, the question remains, can he make a difference in soccer in America.
On the surface, his playing in America will most definitely put people in the stands. Within hours of the announcement of his signing, the Galaxy box office reported a huge surge in sales of season tickets. Even in other cities, sales increased for at least the games he would be in their stadiums. His playing in cities across the US will bring young people out to see the games and increase their interest in the game, most likely even more so than Pele did in the early '70s.
The thing that I think will be the drawback to his playing here will be his huge salary. I'm just not sure how profitable it will be for the Galaxy for sure. I just can't see one team, which usually draws less than about 20,000 fans to a game can recoup $50 million a year. That would be a lot of tickets. No doubt, they will need to increase sponsorship fees and hope to get a bigger cut of the television package.
Ultimately, this one player with this one huge contract could be the downfall of the league. At best, it may crumble the one team. At worst, other teams will feel the pressure to sign high-profile players for high-profile dollar figures, which could lead to the collapse of the entire league.
Welcome to America, David.