The Beckham Experiment: A Teaser

Although I agree with both "fan" and Laurie in describing not only this situation but, sadly, anything related to big business sport in general.

I care about both of these players, and I came to care about this team as it seemed to take the brunt of league experiments in profit-making and profile-building at great expense to everything else a fan would care about.

I'll repeat a comment I made over at Ives after gaining a little perspective during a caption-the-photo-post.

In my eyes the story here is how owners/management's cynically motivated and inept decisions impacted the team, and continue to do so, not how the two players reacted.

Considering Donovan, his interview apparently took place right after the last defeat in an excruciating season--which he also likely thought would be his last with Beckham given his own stated desire to return to Europe. On Beckham's end, can't argue about the assessment of his on field efforts for the second half of last season. But, if the story is accurate, I did wonder that it took his management so long to get involved after how poorly the Galaxy/MLS handled his arrival and injury in the first season. Not they did any better, obviously.

I can't judge either of these players' behavior based on scant excerpts from a book that seems--from the little we've seen--to lean more to tattling than the serious analysis I have come expect from Grant Wahl. We'll have to see what's in the rest.

when it comes to making fast-dirty-cheap money, everyone can be shite

Describes Beckham's tenure in MLS pretty accurately, imo. ;-)

Credible, respected Sports' journalist or not, I don't care about Grant Wahl's background or history if he doesn't care about Beckham's background and history as a man and a professional athlete either. See..when it comes questioning the credibility of this book and Grant Wahl himself, lots of you quickly stated his status a well-respected, credible journalist. So why not you do the same with Becks? Go back and look again at his status as a man and a professional athlete..he has NEVER done anything any negative thing - selfish, arrogant, cheapskate, lazy, stuck up, etc, etc that Grant Wahl and 'Donovan' have stated in this book!

And credible journalist or not..when it comes to making fast-dirty-cheap money, everyone can be shite and that includes Wahl! The fact that this book is going to be published just two days before Beckham's 1st game this season, and to make it worst, in the MIDDLE of the season regardless of whether the team is or will be struggling or not, just shows that that is all what this book about - MONEY!!!

"Beckham is very “typically” English — reserved, lots of unspoken assumptions, good sense of humor, sense of duty, etc. I’m not sure that his personality, cultural and otherwise, really meshed with American players".

I just read some of the comments of Landon Donovan and I would agree. Although I know it not to be true, however, Donovan came across as very 'streo-typically' American, loud mouthed, unsubtle and over the top.

I was hopeful that Becks would help the MLS as I have lots US freinds who love football/soccer and I was routing for them against Brazil... it would have been fantastic (unlucky by the way). But, as usual, it has come down to a Sunday league player slagging off a world class footballer, so he can make a little money to upgrade his station wagon.

The MLS must be very cheesed off, because why would any other quality European player now come over to the US to play football with lesser quality players, for hardly any money and then get slagged of by players who never had the quality to play football at a high level?

Donovans comment "This is f****** miserable. I don't want to have soccer be this way." Is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard from a 'footballer' - What? You dont want one of the greatest footballers ever to wear a pair of boots to lead a team of players who, no disrespect, wouldn't do very well in my local League... and I am in Switzerland!

Landon - The performance against Brazil had everybody on this side of the pond looking up. The USA team gained some fans that night which would be useful when it comes to next year.... You, however, just blew it with your schoolboy whinging. If you had any 'committment' to the MLS you would have kept you mouth shut, the only 'joke' around here is a player of your standard slagging off Becks.

Becks - get out of there now... go back Milan... Win the World Cup next year... then forget about this 'Sunday League Experiment'.

Only Grant Wahl could write this book the way it needed to be written. He's a credible sports journalist who won't sensationalize for the sake of sensation. I've always loved his soccer stuff. I've got an advance copy coming too, and I can't wait!!

James, I think you do a disservice to Landon with those comments. I never got the sense that what Landon wants is the spotlight. I always got the sense that what he wants is to have fun playing futbol. That doesn't always mean he put it all out there for every game, but I have never seen Landon as a diva. He's always been very down-to-earth, very sharp, very aware of what he's saying and doing.

Also, not so sure that the Beckham I've been watching play over the last 2.5 seasons is better than Landon. He might very well be, but he hasn't been showing it, at least not in a Galaxy uniform.

I think that as the highest paid player in the league, the team captain, and the guy engineering the management of the team, the onus is on Becks to be a leader and in the stuff I've read so far, he doesn't show that.

But the real question is do I trust Grant Wahl enough to credit his perspective and descritpion of events. And the answer is "yes". He's always been a stand-up futbol journalist.

I think that current Galaxy management is still trying to recover from Gullit-Lalas days. This excerpt definitely puts Lalas in a different light. I almost feel sorry for the guy. I'm confident that Arena and Payne won't take as much crap from Beckham's handlers this time around.

The only reason this loser is writing the book is so, like so many others, he can make a bit of money off David Beckham. I was reading the other day about Beckham not paying for everyone's dinner. Erm, who was he with a bunch of kids? No, He was with grown men who probably would have thought if beckham had picked up the bill, was splashing his cash around because he has so much. Donovan is sulking because he was no longer the golden boy of soccer. A bigger and better player had come along and took his spotlight and he did not like it. The sooner Beckham gets out of that joke of a league the better.

Agreed Thad. It will be interesting to see if the book gives more of Beckham's side.

From reading the excerpt, a lot of it seems like soccer culture shock, as well as little bit of actual cultural differences. Beckham is very "typically" English -- reserved, lots of unspoken assumptions, good sense of humor, sense of duty, etc. I'm not sure that his personality, cultural and otherwise, really meshed with American players.

I'm looking forward to reading the book though. And I wonder how much of Donovan's being on fire of late is because of Beckham's absence so far this season.

I just read through most of the excerpt. It is one sided--you don't get Beckham's point of view. The article does convince me Ruud G was a joke.

However it needs to be remembered Galaxy were a terrible team when Beckham got there. I saw them lose in the Open Cup to Richmond Kickers in a heartless performance. Donovan was captain that night and showed nothing.

I hope they can get it together this time around.