# The David Beckham Controversy **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003 "2004-10-13T14:07:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/1 "2004-10-13T14:07:47Z")
From this [cite](http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=161513) So David pulls a fast one. Its within the rules isn’t it ? To me that is what sport is all about, i.e. using every edge possible in order to attain a victory within the rules. I think Europeans still have a somewhat archaic sense of sportsmanship. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/2 "2004-10-13T14:16:10Z")
Yeah it’s within the letter of the law, but it was a bit stupid to come out and say it (he’s not the brightest lad on the planet). The other thing is he launched himself at Thatcher in a way that could have got them both hurt (Thacher is a big lump - much bigger than Beckham) and there are all sorts of other ways he could have got booked - eg kick the ball away petulantly. Mind you Becks has always had a problem controlling his tackle. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/3 "2004-10-13T14:19:37Z")
I don’t have a problem with it either. He was injured and used the time to heal and wipe his slate clean at the same time. Gets to start over healthy and yellow card free, quite clever really. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/4 "2004-10-13T14:21:06Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > So David pulls a fast one. Its within the rules isn’t it ? To me that is what sport is all about, i.e. using every edge possible in order to attain a victory within the rules. I think Europeans still have a somewhat archaic sense of sportsmanship. I’d consider it unsportsman-like conduct. Then again, many athletes think that it is OK to intentionally foul another player if you can do it without getting caught, even in amateur sports. The professionals are setting a poor example. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/5 "2004-10-13T14:21:37Z")
> [@](#): > > “It was deliberate,” Beckham was quoted as saying in British papers Tuesday. “I am sure some people think that I have not got the brains to be that clever, but I do have the brains. … I knew I will be out for a few weeks, so I thought: `Let’s get the yellow card out of the way.’” But he’s definitely not clever enough to keep his cleverness to himself. Twit. And there are a lot of ways to draw a yellow without deliberately fouling someone (and therefore risking injury to the other player). ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/6 "2004-10-13T14:21:56Z")
To me the sportmanship allegation is secondary. If I am recalling the correct incident, it was when Beckham and Ben Thatcher appeared to be going for a 50:50 ball. It appeared quite possible that Ben Thatcher could have ended up being injured. As it happened, it seemed Beckham came out the worse from the encounter. The problem with committing a foul for Machiavelian reasons, is it could end up with causing a serious injury to someone who has no interest in your agenda. That stinks to high heaven and Beckham should be called to account for it. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/7 "2004-10-13T14:24:18Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > From this [cite](http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=161513) > > So David pulls a fast one. Its within the rules isn’t it ? To me that is what sport is all about, i.e. using every edge possible in order to attain a victory within the rules. I think Europeans still have a somewhat archaic sense of sportsmanship. Intentionally hurting someone to the point where he gets issued a red card is a disgusting act of premeditated violence against another human being. There’s _never_ a reason to attack someone, that’s why the red card penalty is so harsh. I agree with you about the strategy, **grienspace**. There’s nothing _too_ wrong with the tactic of clearing the yellow card so it won’t be hanging over his head, as long as it doesn’t penalize the team, and it didn’t, due to his injury. But as **owlstretchingtime** suggested, there are other ways he could have accomplished his goal. Could it be seen as an attempt to throw the game? That’s illegal here in the states… Doing anything less than trying to win is a sin against sportsmanship. Strategizing to lose an advantage seems… uncouth. More noble to take the knocks as they come and hope for the best. I realize nobility and strategy aren’t always compatible in sports. I just get a sick feeling whenever intentional fouls are praised. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/8 "2004-10-13T14:31:08Z")
There is an offence of “ungentlemanly conduct” and it possible that this could count - but as the rules stand there is nothing that the FA/FIFA can do as the ref punished him at the time ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/9 "2004-10-13T14:32:22Z")
It’s bad sportmanship. Basically he is following the letter of the rules while corrupting their intention. And this is from someone who makes millions in advertising/sponsorship as some kind of hero and role-model. :rolleyes: Plus, while following his little scheme he could have injured someone else, putting them out of subsequent games. So not only does it make him unsporting, it’s also makes him a dangerous, selfish twat. But what makes him even more contemptible is that he couldn’t stand having people thinking he was just being his old stupid, wreckless self, so he had to tell everyone why he had done it and how clever he was being, thereby _proving_ he is stupid and wreckless. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/10 "2004-10-13T14:35:01Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I don’t have a problem with it either. He was injured and used the time to heal and wipe his slate clean at the same time. Gets to start over healthy and yellow card free, quite clever really. And this would have been fine **if he’d just kept his big mouth shut!** Also as he’s the England team Captain (at least he was) this is not a good message for him to be sending out to the people who look up to him. Granted this is a number that is shrinking rapidly. In my opinion he should certainly be stripped of the captaincy. ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/11 "2004-10-13T14:53:13Z")
My take on it is that he is stupid enough to commit a daft foul in anger (he’s done it before). When I saw it he definitely looked pissed off. Afterwards, when he got called stupid by the press, he tried to cover it up by making up the tactical foul story. This got him into even deeper shit, thus proving the many layers of his stupidity and vain pride. Extraordinary goal, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/12 "2004-10-13T14:54:05Z")
> [@InvidiousCourgette](#): > > To me the sportmanship allegation is secondary. If I am recalling the correct incident, it was when Beckham and Ben Thatcher appeared to be going for a 50:50 ball. It appeared quite possible that Ben Thatcher could have ended up being injured. As it happened, it seemed Beckham came out the worse from the encounter. There were two challenges - I think you’re thinking of the first, for which neither player got booked, and in which Beckham injured his ribs. The second one, for which Beckham was booked, involved him simply running into Thatcher with no hope of getting the ball. ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/13 "2004-10-13T15:25:08Z")
> [@Dead Badger](#): > > There were two challenges - I think you’re thinking of the first, for which neither player got booked, and in which Beckham injured his ribs. The second one, for which Beckham was booked, involved him simply running into Thatcher with no hope of getting the ball. Doh! I must have missed the second challenge, and now I think about it, I never saw the card being brandished. That sounds a lot less dangerous, so I withdraw my original comments. I will say that Mr. Beckham has done his reputation, intellectual and ethical, no favours by explaining his actions. If, as the **One And Only Wanderers** put it, he kept his mouth shut, everything would be shiny and new. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/14 "2004-10-13T15:37:58Z")
He’s a fucking idiot. He gets criticised for getting silly bookings so he defends himself by admitting this. Tosspot. How did he think that that would work out? The press is just looking for something to hang on him. Self righteous cunts will hang him for anything. Very stupid thing to do. Admitting the offence that is as I’m sure that lots of players have done the same except with a small amount of brains behind the action. ---
**Author:** ![mallocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mallocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mallocks)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/15 "2004-10-13T17:17:52Z")
Actually, what I found interesting about the whole affair was that the possibility that he had fouled deliberately was actually in one of the UK dailys the day after the match, and I can’t help but wonder if he saw that possibility as a way to excuse himself. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/16 "2004-10-13T18:08:00Z")
Perhaps it’s just my soccer ignorance showing, but if Beckham was injured badly enough to know he would miss a future game, why was he playing in this game? ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/17 "2004-10-13T18:27:33Z")
> [@Dewey Cheatem Undhow](#): > > Perhaps it’s just my soccer ignorance showing, but if Beckham was injured badly enough to know he would miss a future game, why was he playing in this game? He picked up the injury during the game. He recognised it for what it was, knew he had no chance of playing today against Azerbaijan, so did the dirty to clean his slate. ---
**Author:** ![Daisy\_Mae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daisy\_Mae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daisy_Mae)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/18 "2004-10-13T19:41:20Z")
I think you’re all missing the real problem with that story linked in the OP. There’s no pitcure of Mr Beckham in it! ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/19 "2004-10-13T19:57:36Z")
Beckham’s stupid (no shock there). He’s [apologized](http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=313032&cc=5901) for his ploy. But he’s put Eriksson in a bad spot. He has to figure out how much to punish Beckham to prevent FIFA from stepping in while not punishing him more that FIFA would. Great leadership from the captain. More importantly, somebody should have pulled Beckham aside and told him that if he wanted a tattoo on the back of his neck it would be wise not to pick a tattoo that looks like a Nazi symbol. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003/20 "2004-10-13T19:59:21Z")
Well I blame the referee for the whole thing. Beckham is always liable to do something really stupid and dangerous in a game, so I think the ref. should have sent him off before that happened. Of course then he wouldn’t have scored that fantastic (but incredibly lucky 🙂 ) goal and Wales might have managed to scrape a draw… on second thoughts the way Wales played they wouldn’t have scored in a month of Sundays. [unhappy Welsh supporter] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-david-beckham-controversy/269003.md?page=2)