When David Beckham signed to play with the L.A. Galaxy some people believed Becks would bring Americans to soccer. And he did in his first year, but in his second season Beckham is seeing less people in the stands on the road. The Galaxy plays to a packed house at home, but the hopes of the MLS were that Beckham would fill stadiums league wide.
The economy could be a factor although MLB isn’t suffering any attendance problems. It’s more likely that a past his prime David Beckham can’t put the MLS on the map by himself.
There were 21,000 fewer fans in New York to watch Beckham play last weekend against the Red Bulls than a year ago. Last month’s visit to soccer-crazed Washington, D.C., drew about 10,000 fewer fans than the previous year despite the fact the 2007 game was played in a rainstorm.
If the numbers keep falling like this David Beckham won’t want to finish his contract let alone make it to his 100th cap. I can’t blame David Beckham for the MLS hyping him up when his best days were behind him, and I can’t blame Beckham for the league’s lack of other major stars. If the MLS can get 5-10 high profile players in their prime to come to the US and play, then and only then, will the sport move ahead of bass fishing and hotdog eating contest in popularity in the States.
David Beckham, MLS, Los Angeles Galaxy, attendance
- New Book Revelas the Depth of the David Beckham-Tom Cruise Bromance...
- David Beckham To AC Milan Looking Good So Far...
- Video: Stephen Colbert asks is it Time to Care About Soccer?...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
