by Michael Fox

Created on: November 17, 2009

The sport of soccer is beloved throughout the world - except in the United States that is. Major League Soccer has been having a tough time with being taken seriously ever since it was formed. Many people have simply not bothered with it and those who are interested in soccer have exhibited a greater interest in matches from outside the continent.

This is where David Beckham comes in. When he was signed by the Los Angeles Galaxy his salary was about the same as the combined total of the salaries of all players in MLS. This is clearly the Galaxy showing that they have the most popular athlete in the world on their side.

The truth is though that there is no real way how Beckham can save MLS. Granted, he may make people acknowledge the league but at the same time he is only one person. Because he is a European he may not be too popular among Americans because it can be hard to get a person who is not American to be well marketed. This is regardless of how popular he is in other places around the world. This is something similar to that of how the NHL is treated between the United States and Canada. In Canada athletes are heralded as A-list stars while in the United States they are mostly unrecognizable to the public.

A better way to save MLS is to focus on stronger American talent. While it is true that many international players are ones that play in MLS they are also ones that may not have been taken in by Premier or First Division leagues in Europe or elsewhere for some reason. The problem is that this reason is usually due to a lack of talent. In fact many outside leagues may not be willing to take in American players. The need for MLS to add to its American talent is vital. Not only will these players be more marketable in the country but they will also be playing in a league where they can all have a fair chance at competition with each other.

David Beckham is not going to be able to save MLS. Rather he will need to work with other American players to be able to save the sport. By getting more homegrown talent into the league it will be easier for MLS to be able to thrive.

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