# Beckham To Play In La For 250m **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586 "2007-01-11T17:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/1 "2007-01-11T17:50:56Z")
[http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=399465&cc=3888](http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=399465&cc=3888) Life is sweet. At least for some folks. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/2 "2007-01-11T17:55:45Z")
Little nitpick: He’s playing in L.A. Not in La. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/3 "2007-01-11T18:09:20Z")
Good move for him financially, but it also shows that even he realizes his best days are behind him. I don’t think Americans who don’t care about soccer aren’t going to all of a sudden care because of his presence. In other words, I don’t see this as American soccer now becoming a major sport. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/4 "2007-01-11T18:12:37Z")
That’s some serious money alright. Add in some nice sponsorship and you could probably double it. Beckham has a face made for ads. He and Posh “great” are friends with Mr and Mrs Cruise so expect a conversion soon after they arrive 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/5 "2007-01-11T18:19:33Z")
Didn’t a NY-based team try this in the 70s with Pelé? I believe it was a short-term success. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/6 "2007-01-11T18:22:01Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] Didn’t a NY-based team try this in the 70s with Pelé? I believe it was a short-term success. [/QUOTE] Pelé, George Best, Bobby Moore and a lot more aging stars played in the States in the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/7 "2007-01-11T18:33:01Z")
I also recall the USFL gave some insane contracts to players like Steve Young and of course folded a year or two later. It seems odd that a league that is barely staying afloat would pay a player such a contract- what if he gets hurt? I’m sure they are thinking he will single handedly save the league, and that they may get 250 million in Beckham jersey sales alone, but it does seem a bit extreme. And keep in mind that the huge contracts contributed to the downfall of the NASL, and even though the Cosmos with their all-star squad drew huge crowds, most of the other teams did not. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/8 "2007-01-11T18:46:46Z")
Another waste of money, given that Beckham is past his prime, will spend all his time partying with the Hollywood elite, and has no incentive with that contract to excel on the field. A marketing move at best. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/9 "2007-01-11T18:52:02Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] Didn’t a NY-based team try this in the 70s with Pelé? I believe it was a short-term success. [/QUOTE] [New York Cosmos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cosmos) ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/10 "2007-01-11T18:57:36Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] I don’t think Americans who don’t care about soccer aren’t going to all of a sudden care because of his presence. In other words, I don’t see this as American soccer now becoming a major sport. [/QUOTE] I’m peripherally interested in US soccer, and have been trying to get to a Galaxy game ever since they played at the Rose Bowl. This may be just the thing to get me out there. Who knows, maybe I’ll even buy a jersey. I wonder if American “journalism” (tabloids) will be worse for him than the British, or easier. I expect to start seeing him on the cover shortly after he arrives. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/11 "2007-01-11T19:19:15Z")
Don’t get too thrown by the $250m figure; I believe it’s mostly marketing hype and already includes a number of extras beyond salary. The rumors I’ve seen put him at $9m a year in salary in MLS, about what he was making at Real Madrid. The real boon to Becks is going to be image rights, which he apparently generates about $44m a year at. His deal with Real Madrid had him sharing that money 50/50. It’s believed he got a sweetheart deal on that from MLS, on the order of 90/10 or 100/0, and that’s the majority of the $250m number being thrown about. I realize that’s a lot of supposition and rumor, but a large part of that $50m a year has to be something besides salary. Personally, I think (hope) it’s a bold move by MLS at the right time. I know they just got a PPV subscription out of me and I’ll have to see if I can make it to the LA game when they come to Dallas or Houston. At this point, I think there’s little chance of them making the same mistakes of the NASL because they are limiting the number of players not subjected to the salary cap to one per team. The new rumor is now to look for Ronaldo signing with Red Bull New York. ---
**Author:** ![Smooth\_Jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Smooth\_Jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smooth_Jack)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/12 "2007-01-11T19:27:56Z")
**duality72** must be on to something. I wouldn’t think the whole of MLS payroll amounts to $250 million. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/13 "2007-01-11T19:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Little nitpick: He’s playing in L.A. Not in La. [/QUOTE] My finger slipped off of the shift key. So sue me. Don’t expect 250M. 🙂 Or 250D, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/14 "2007-01-11T19:38:09Z")
I’m all in favor of it. Might put a little more pizzazz into American soccer. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/15 "2007-01-11T19:44:18Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] Little nitpick: He’s playing in L.A. Not in La. [/QUOTE] Even more nitpicky, the Galaxy’s home field/pitch/stadium is in Carson, California, not Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/16 "2007-01-11T20:03:30Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] [New York Cosmos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cosmos) [/QUOTE] Is that pronounced “Coz - mohse”, like the Sagan series, or “Coz - moes”, like multiple Kramers? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/17 "2007-01-11T21:02:21Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] I also recall the USFL gave some insane contracts to players like Steve Young and of course folded a year or two later. It seems odd that a league that is barely staying afloat would pay a player such a contract- what if he gets hurt? I’m sure they are thinking he will single handedly save the league, [/QUOTE] What makes you think the league needs saving? A league that continues to build stadia is one that is probably on sound financial footing. [QUOTE=Wee Bairn] and that they may get 250 million in Beckham jersey sales alone, but it does seem a bit extreme. And keep in mind that the huge contracts contributed to the downfall of the NASL, and even though the Cosmos with their all-star squad drew huge crowds, most of the other teams did not. [/QUOTE] The NASL was a long time ago in a very different soccer market. A good documentary on the Cosmos is [Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489247/). (BTW Chinaglia is a huge asshole.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/18 "2007-01-11T21:03:13Z")
It’s pronounced STOMP, STOMP, STOMP-STOMP-STOMP, STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP, COSMOHSSE 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/19 "2007-01-11T22:36:32Z")
[QUOTE=Yookeroo] What makes you think the league needs saving? A league that continues to build stadia is one that is probably on sound financial footing. The NASL was a long time ago in a very different soccer market. A good documentary on the Cosmos is [Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489247/). (BTW Chinaglia is a huge asshole.) [/QUOTE] The LEAGUE is not building stadiums. Smart of them. The OWNERS are building stadiums, smart of THEM. The league itself has been up and down. Without a major network TV contract, they will never be rolling in dough. Can’t remember if anyone had to pay for the current TV coverage; originally, the league PAID to have its games shown. 😛 I went to many SJ games when the league first started, and I attended a season of Crew games after moving to Ohio. Haven’t been to a game in something like 5 years, and not inclined to go or watch; the soccer is SOOOOO inferior. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586/20 "2007-01-11T23:53:51Z")
Surely he could get by on 100,000 a year. I can’t see why he’d need the extra 49,900,000. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beckham-to-play-in-la-for-250m/387586.md?page=2)