The league and the owners are more tightly aligned than with other leagues; it’s called “Single-Entity Management” and it means the league negotiates and pays player contracts (this contract is the first exception to this rule) and all owners share in most league profits and losses equally.
Starting this season, ESPN is paying to air at least one game a week. Other network broadcast partners are also paying, and teams usually have local broadcasts.
Your loss. It’s fascinating to watch the level of play evolve, and I guarantee you it’s a heckuva lot better than it was five years ago.
ESPN and Fox Soccer are both contracted to pay for MLS games as of this coming season (I think it actually started part way through last season). MLS didn’t previously pay to have their games shown, they paid to have them produced. Any revenue generated by the airing of the games was split between ESPN and MLS. Problem was ESPN had very little incentive to promote the games.
They’ve caught up in the last few years. DC United thrashed Celtic in a friendly; Galaxy played and other clubs played with Real Madrid. MLS All Stars played with Chelsea a year ago, but lost IIRC, and they thrashed Fulham this past year. Not real, meaningful games, granted, but MLS is probably about level of English Championship (one level below Prem). Not great, but decent.
I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work (one of the rare occasions when I drive) and they explained the 250 mill thing. The speculation is that a lot of it is in image rights, that Beckham historically didn’t get to retain and that a second large part of it might be in something to do with some soccer academy plans he has.
Anyway, I’m TOTALLY going to go to a game to see the buzz. Not worth not going-I live close to where they play.
The American press is a cute fluffy bunny rabbit when compared with the British tabloids. While it is likely he’ll a lot of media attention once the MLS season starts, I think he’ll quickly retreat to the back pages of the sports section. Despite Beckham’s worldwide fame, I don’t think he’ll even be the biggest sports celebrity in Los Angeles. In fact, his wife is probably better known in the U.S. than he is (which is why when Beckham is even mentioned on sports talk radio, he’s usually snarkily referred to as “Mr. Posh Spice”).
Of course it is. The MLS is betting that people will tune in or go to the stadium to see what all the hype is about Beckham and then get interested in the other players and teams. Yet, even if this plan succeeds, there will still be the problem of holding on to the interest of American sports fans once Beckham retires.
It’s frankly a bit fuzzy with MLS, but MLS is a single entity concept which is becoming fragmented. The idea is sort of monopolistic, ie, keep the franchises from competing with each other and driving prices up. Now there is independent ownership of some franchises and the drive towards SSS (Soccer Specific Stadia) as seen in Carson, CA (Home Depot Center, which hosts LA Galaxy and Chiva USA), Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (home of FC Dallas), Crew Stadium in Columbus and Toyota Park in Chicago, home of the Fire. These are small, intimate venues whose first, although not only, focus is soccer. Max capacity is roughly 20,000 at these places, versus American football stadia which hold between 50 and 100 thousand people in many locales.
1 1/2 oz. vodka
3/4 oz triple sec
3/4 oz cranberry juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
Pour the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
He’ll be making less money than at his Real Madrid peak, but more than RM wanted to pay him now. My Real Madrid fan friend is somewhat irritated at the coach for not using the guy, but not at Beckie for leaving. Today’s headlines in Spanish newspapers include “changing galaxies” and “Beckie Goes To Hollywood”, they’re having a field day with the puns.
My mother hates Vicky-Beckie, so she’ll probably be happy about getting her on TV less often.
By way of comparison, until Becks shows up on July 1st, the highest-paid player in all of MLS will be Juan Francisco Palencia, at $1.3 million.
Beckham’s “$250 million” reported salary is accurate, but it isn’t just his Galaxy gamechecks and signing bonus. It includes endorsement money which the Galaxy (and MLS) have already negotiated for him.
I don’t think Beckham will become an uber-celebrity in the US like he has in England. People here for the most part never really heard of him till that movie “Bend it Like Beckham” came out and people were forced to ask “Who’s Beckham?”
He’s not in movies or TV shows and they really don’t show soccer highlights on Sportcenter.
Unless he starts hanging out with Paris, Britney, or Lindsey I don’t think we’ll be hearing much about him.
The LA Times today also said that he will get a percentage of merchandise sales (and a portion of the $250MM is based on his estimated take from that). So, each new Beckham Galaxy shirt that you buy will put a few bucks in the pocket of the man himself!