THE GRAVITY OF BECKHAM

Written by: Gabe

I had my first taste of Beckhamania last night, as the Columbus Crew dismantled LA Galaxy in clunky fashion, 1-0. The only thing separating me from the Man himself was a few hundred feet of crisp Columbus fall air.

But the thing I will take away form this game is how celebrity, team, league and money all overlap in a big golden pile of shit.

Having a professional soccer team in my city is absolutely bonkers, and I count my lucky stars every Saturday. In a town irrefutably infested with college football fans, professional hockey supporters, and, uh—arena football people(?), we’re fortunate to have a niche for the beautiful game. Which makes it all the more frustrating when the league, the marketing, and the money work against us at every corner.

You saw from Toeball’s earlier post that Columbus is way down on the list of the dollar signs. We’re a small market in a part of the country people like to make fun of. The MLS is undoubtedly miffed that our squad is without question the best in the league this season, almost a shoe-in for the Supporters’ Shield, and [crosses fingers] maybe even a Cup. A low profile team rinsing out the prettiest faces in the United States on a tiny budget and in-debt undermines the strategy of big-market spending. Columbus may be the best, but we won’t attract high-profile players because our city lacks glamour. No high-profile players means no backing from the league. In short, the MLS wants LA, Chicago, and NY to win a lot, thereby attracting public attention and validating their spending. They’re happy to have Columbus, KC and RSL at the bottom of the table forevermore.

This mindset is what brought out my anger at yesterday’s game. In a sold out stadium, I saw hundreds of people in Beckham jerseys. They screamed when he was near, they sought autographs, and snapped enough pictures to light up the black out. Annoying but expected. They’re entitled to support whomever they choose. But when I walked into the Crew gift shop and found Beckham jerseys for sale, I was a few bad thoughts away from kicking someone’s guts through a wall. I understand the idea: any sale of an MLS jersey (but especially a star like Beckham) will raise the public’s awareness of the league. But great leagues aren’t made by support for the league in general (or support for your opponent, for Christ’s sake), great leagues are made by support for each of the teams that make it up. Do you think the Browns came back to Cleveland because Clevelanders just love the NFL? No, they came back because those people love their team so much they would kill to have them back. And a few probably did.

Admittedly, I came to this match partially for the spectacle of Beckham. But I came to watch him and his team get shredded. I didn’t come to buy his merch or scream his name or flash my camera at him. To me, he’s great for the league because it makes me love my team even more when we slay him. In fact, while I would never buy a Beckham jersey, I probably would have bought a shirt that said something like “Demolish David Beckham”. THAT is how you’ll get my money, and THAT is the type of grassroots, hometown support our league needs to thrive far into the future. Need I remind you that David’s contract is up in 3 years… then what, MLS?

Tags: Columbus Crew, David Beckham, LA Galaxy, MLS