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The notion that one sporting superstar like David Beckham could single-handedly save a team sport like Major League Soccer is asking for the moon, as can be seen from earlier attempts by even greater players like Pele, George Best and Franz Beckenbauer, to raise the profile of soccer in the USA.

David Beckham is a world-renowned personality, due in part to his soccer skills, but more so as a celebrity married to a celebrity, forming a married couple who spend most of their time in front of the camera.

In reality, David Beckham's standing as a soccer player is more high profile than his ability merits, thanks to his off-field persona and his popularity with the advertising world.
Most soccer afficionados when asked to compile a list of the top 100 soccer players of all time, would not include Beckham, considering him to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill footballer who has a special talent with the dead ball.

In soccer terms, David Beckham cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Pele , Maradona, Best, Puskas, Di Stefano and Cruyff, not to mention a multitude of modern players who have far superior talent to Beckham.

If Beckham has any role in saving Major League Soccer, it will be due completely to his standing as a celebrity and not his ability to play the game.
The fact is that David Beckham is fast approaching the end of his playing career, a dynamic we find common in professional soccer in the USA as personalities are brought in to finish their careers while at the same time giving the game in America a bit of needed publicity.

The only way the Major League in America will become a force in it's own right is to develop players of their own at grass roots level rather than rely on fading stars from overseas who will give the game only a temporary injection.

If Beckham had the status of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, the impact would be stronger, but these are in a different league when it comes to the influence they had on their sports. The degree of talent is a major factor in the effect one sportsman can have on the sport as a whole and David Beckham falls sadly short in this area.

David Beckham may well have an effect on MLS with his high-profile presence but saving the sport is a whole new ball game.

Learn more about this author, JC Campbell.
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