USA/CANADA: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - Reaction to David Beckham signing blockbuster deal to bring jet set glamour to the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team

Record ID: 764655

  • Title: USA/CANADA: SOCCER/FOOTBALL - Reaction to David Beckham signing blockbuster deal to bring jet set glamour to the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team
  • Date: 12th January 2007
  • Summary: CARSON, CALIFORNIA, USA. JANUARY 11, 2007. (REUTERS) WIDE EXTERIOR HOME DEPOT CENTER STADIUM WITH SIGN HOME DEPOT CENTER SHOP AT HOME DEPOT CENTER STOCKING LOS ANGELES GALAXY GEAR
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA66F8KJYKQRZEVJWNP5VFFURWS
  • Story Text: America's entertainment capital welcomed a new celebrity when David Beckham agreed to join Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy in a blockbuster deal worth $250 million over five years. The blockbuster deal also reverberated north of the border in ice hockey-mad Canada.
    Beckham, one of the most recognisable and marketable sports figures in the world, will join the U.S. club after his contract with Real Madrid expires at the end of the season in a bold move to raise the popularity of the professional game in America.
    "Yeah, it's a tremendous day for the Los Angeles Galaxy, for major league soccer and soccer in America," explained Alexi Lalas, President and General Manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy. "To be able to bring a player of David Beckham, his stature and his experience, automatically makes the Los Angeles Galaxy a better soccer team, but it does so much more on and off the field for the sport in the United States. So, we're all excited about it."
    Importing Beckham, the former England captain, is the biggest sports deal for Los Angeles since ice hockey's Wayne Gretzky came to the NHL Kings in a 1988 trade with the Edmonton Oilers, who also received $15 million in cash.
    Beckham, and his wife, former Spice Girl pop singer Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams, should fit right into the Hollywood glamour scene.
    Members of Beckham's new team say they have no problem with the size of the contract, as long as Beckham plays hard.
    "There are guy's that will be making considerably less," said Landon Donovan, a forward on the Galaxy. "But, if he comes and plays than no one cares. If it's about Hollywood and other things than there might be some issues. I'm sure he has big bodyguards so it doesn't matter what we say."
    The Galaxy hope Beckham will draw attention from overseas. Specific details of the contract were not revealed, though the Galaxy chief said most of the Beckham's projected earnings would come from off-field opportunities. Beckham was signed under a new designated player rule that allows owners to sign a player outside the strict salary cap structure of the 11-year-old league, which has struggled economically.
    "I think he's deserving of that. I mean in exposure, we don't see that everyday," added defenseman Chris Albright, referring to the large crowd of journalist covering the news. "So, I think it is already paying off. There is no animosity, there is no ill will, we are excited to have him and hopefully he picks up the check at dinner."
    The Galaxy has averaged 22,000 to 24,000 fans a game the last few years but dipped in 2006 when they missed the playoffs.
    More than 1,000 new season tickets were sold by the Galaxy Wednesday morning after news of the Beckham deal.
    David Beckham's signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy sent shivers of excitement through Canada on Thursday, triggering a spike in season tickets sales for a soccer team that have yet to play a game.
    Within hours of announcement that Beckham had joined the Galaxy in a $250 million deal, Toronto FC said they had received hundreds of calls and sold 100 season ticket packages.
    "The phone is already ringing off the hook, we've had over 500 calls this morning and sold another 100 season tickets," said Tom Anselmi, the vice president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), owners of Toronto FC.
    "There are very few players out there like David Beckham -- Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, he's in that kind of class. It's great for the league.
    "It's really great for the overall profile of the league and the overall credibility of Major League Soccer."
    With Toronto sports scene dominated by the NHL's Maple Leafs and NBA's Raptors, Beckham's signing brought timely attention to the city's side as they prepare for their inaugural season.
    Toronto FC will play home games at a 20,000-seat purpose built soccer stadium that will host the final of the Under-20 FIFA World Cup later this year and can now look forward to at least one assured sellout.
    After the MLS schedule is released in two weeks, individual game tickets will go on sale and the Los Angeles game is expected to be an immediate sellout.
    "It (Beckham's signing) is the type of thing that grabs the attention of everybody," Anselmi told reporters. "It's huge news for the league because he is that type of player.
    "LA is going to be a better team and they're going to sell a lot of tickets in every town they're in. He is more than just a player. He's more than that. He's a sporting icon and a marketing icon."
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