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Friday Five: Gauging the impact of David Beckham's return to MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy
Both the Galaxy and MLS must wrestle with the implications of the former England captain's decision to remain Stateside.
Jan 20, 2012 1:58:00 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Victor Decolongon
David Beckham has finally ended the epic saga surrounding his future by signing a fresh deal with Los Angeles.
The new contract admittedly comes with a few perks – a pass to London 2012 and a mutual option for 2012 among them, according to the Los Angeles Times – as the Galaxy and the world's most prominent footballer extend their relationship well beyond the point most European pundits believed it would ever reach.
The Friday Five offers its thoughts on how Beckham's Stateside stay will impact his club and his league for the next two years:
1. No one strikes a deal quite like Tim Leiweke: The Galaxy can call upon a vast reserve of characteristics and strengths as a club to sway players during negotiations, but the AEG president stands out as the man who usually closes the high-end deals. Leiweke's relationship with Beckham laid the groundwork for the groundbreaking first deal in 2007 and this extension, while his ability to sell a sweeping vision for the Galaxy has also sealed several other pacts, including a market-induced, 10-year, $55 million local television deal with Time Warner Cable last year. This deal provides yet another example of why Leiweke operates so successfully at the pinnacle of entertainment and sports around the world.
2. Beckham's on-field value to the Galaxy over the course of his deal appears decidedly uncertain: Beckham deserved his place in the MLS Best XI last season based upon his contributions to the Galaxy midfield. Those performances, however, do not guarantee a similar impact over the next two years. This year looks something like an uncertainty given Beckham's almost guaranteed departure for the Olympics this summer, while the former Manchester United icon will turn 38 during the 2012 campaign if he decides to return. There isn't much doubt that Beckham will influence matches somehow when he takes the field over the next two years. There is, however, considerable skepticism about how often he will actually step between the lines. With former central midfield stalwart Juninho back in Brazil, it's fair to argue whether the Galaxy would derive greater benefits on-the-field from a younger, more consistent presence at this point.
3. Retaining Beckham provides yet another boon for MLS in a profitable close season: Keeping the attention-grabbing Beckham in Galaxy colors represents a massive victory for a league still short on star power. Selling the game isn't quite as important as it was at one point in the league's history, but Beckham's presence offers a boost for a league preparing to enter negotiations for its next – and, it hopes, far more lucrative – television negotiations in two years' time. In the wake of Premier League revival tours by Landon Donovan, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane and the sudden rise in European teams rolling the dice on MLS players, this move merely compounds the mostly positive vibes – with all due apologies to Omar Gonzalez and his unfortunate knee injury – around the league over the past few months.
4. Need an investor/operator? Just ask Becks.: Beckham's continued insistence on retaining the contractual right to buy into the league at some stage lends credence to MLS as a growth product. If the past few years have proven anything, they have shown that Beckham and business partner Simon Fuller sure know what they're doing in terms of cultivating celebrity and hype. Those skill would prove useful when and if Beckham eventually ascends to the Board of Governors and plants permanent roots down with a club somewhere in America.
5. Will the birds chirp just a little bit about the practical impact of the imbalanced schedule?: The duration of Beckham's contract holds some significance in one rather off-beat way: it theoretically guarantees that he will appear in each and every MLS market one more time if the option is exercised. History suggests relying on Beckham to show up in certain markets (Colorado, for instance) falls only to the most optimistic of sorts, but there might be a rumble or two from Eastern Conference teams that will miss out on Beckham and the corresponding uptick in gates this season. It isn't always the most logical of arguments – Beckham's impact on gates isn't as drastic or as widespread as it was five years ago and his intermittent appearance record on the road at times has created sticky situations for home sides – yet it is one that still crops up from time to time.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
The new contract admittedly comes with a few perks – a pass to London 2012 and a mutual option for 2012 among them, according to the Los Angeles Times – as the Galaxy and the world's most prominent footballer extend their relationship well beyond the point most European pundits believed it would ever reach.
The Friday Five offers its thoughts on how Beckham's Stateside stay will impact his club and his league for the next two years:
1. No one strikes a deal quite like Tim Leiweke: The Galaxy can call upon a vast reserve of characteristics and strengths as a club to sway players during negotiations, but the AEG president stands out as the man who usually closes the high-end deals. Leiweke's relationship with Beckham laid the groundwork for the groundbreaking first deal in 2007 and this extension, while his ability to sell a sweeping vision for the Galaxy has also sealed several other pacts, including a market-induced, 10-year, $55 million local television deal with Time Warner Cable last year. This deal provides yet another example of why Leiweke operates so successfully at the pinnacle of entertainment and sports around the world.
2. Beckham's on-field value to the Galaxy over the course of his deal appears decidedly uncertain: Beckham deserved his place in the MLS Best XI last season based upon his contributions to the Galaxy midfield. Those performances, however, do not guarantee a similar impact over the next two years. This year looks something like an uncertainty given Beckham's almost guaranteed departure for the Olympics this summer, while the former Manchester United icon will turn 38 during the 2012 campaign if he decides to return. There isn't much doubt that Beckham will influence matches somehow when he takes the field over the next two years. There is, however, considerable skepticism about how often he will actually step between the lines. With former central midfield stalwart Juninho back in Brazil, it's fair to argue whether the Galaxy would derive greater benefits on-the-field from a younger, more consistent presence at this point.
3. Retaining Beckham provides yet another boon for MLS in a profitable close season: Keeping the attention-grabbing Beckham in Galaxy colors represents a massive victory for a league still short on star power. Selling the game isn't quite as important as it was at one point in the league's history, but Beckham's presence offers a boost for a league preparing to enter negotiations for its next – and, it hopes, far more lucrative – television negotiations in two years' time. In the wake of Premier League revival tours by Landon Donovan, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane and the sudden rise in European teams rolling the dice on MLS players, this move merely compounds the mostly positive vibes – with all due apologies to Omar Gonzalez and his unfortunate knee injury – around the league over the past few months.
4. Need an investor/operator? Just ask Becks.: Beckham's continued insistence on retaining the contractual right to buy into the league at some stage lends credence to MLS as a growth product. If the past few years have proven anything, they have shown that Beckham and business partner Simon Fuller sure know what they're doing in terms of cultivating celebrity and hype. Those skill would prove useful when and if Beckham eventually ascends to the Board of Governors and plants permanent roots down with a club somewhere in America.5. Will the birds chirp just a little bit about the practical impact of the imbalanced schedule?: The duration of Beckham's contract holds some significance in one rather off-beat way: it theoretically guarantees that he will appear in each and every MLS market one more time if the option is exercised. History suggests relying on Beckham to show up in certain markets (Colorado, for instance) falls only to the most optimistic of sorts, but there might be a rumble or two from Eastern Conference teams that will miss out on Beckham and the corresponding uptick in gates this season. It isn't always the most logical of arguments – Beckham's impact on gates isn't as drastic or as widespread as it was five years ago and his intermittent appearance record on the road at times has created sticky situations for home sides – yet it is one that still crops up from time to time.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
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