Beckham mania in America

LOS ANGELES: When an official of the Los Angeles Galaxy wanted to impress journalists with the impact of the signing of David Beckham, he referred to the other big story dominating the country’s headlines — the proposal to send more US troops to Iraq. “Condoleeza Rice (Secretary of State) was giving testimony in Congress on Saturday. They interrupted that to give the news of David’s signing,” said Timothy J Leiweke, president of AEG that owns the club.

No one seriously considers Beckham’s signing more significant than the latest developments in Baghdad. But for a country bombarded with a stream of bleak news, the endorsement of the world’s biggest soccer superstar was certainly a welcome diversion.

From the front pages of the New York Times to the blabber-mouthed newscasters on the cable news shows, reporting on the Beckham deal represented the most intense media focus ever placed on football in the US. No one was perhaps more ecstatic than a sports caster on the Fox Soccer Channel, a cable TV outfit that for years has been almost the country’s sole broadcasting outlet for the world’s most popular sport.

Hardly containing his glee, Mitch Peacock said Friday was “Beckham Day” and should be declared a national holiday. That might be pushing it a bit. In a country still dominated by sports like American football, basketball, baseball and hockey, many Americans in the street still couldn’t tell David Beckham from Franz Beckenbauer. “No idea who that is,” said a woman in downtown Los Angeles when shown a picture of the photogenic superstar. Another woman also failed to recognise the world-renowned icon, but something else did fire a spark or recognition. “Wait a minute,” she said. “That’s Posh, right?” She was referring to a photo of Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice for her former role in The Spice Girls music group.

“I know she’s dating him or something but I could never pick him out of the crowd,” the woman said.

While the focus of most of America’s attention was on the member of the dream couple who wears the shorts, Victoria’s celebrity status was like an added bonus. Beckham acknowledged that the attractions of the showbiz capital played a large role in persuading the Beckham family to make the move to Los Angeles, where he acknowledged that there would “plenty of opportunities” for Victoria.  But he added that she was currently content working on her fashion line rather than thinking about restarting a career in music. “On the singing side, I think Victoria’s happy doing what she’s doing at the moment,” said Beckham.  

“She’s got her own fashion line  and the sunglasses and the perfumes. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other opportunities for her but she’s just happy doing what she’s doing at the moment and also being a mum.”