Beckham Joins LA Galaxy

By now you have to know this, it's been everywhere: David Beckham will be pulling on a Los Angeles Galaxy shirt as of July 2007. LA Times has it here.

Becks will make a great impression on the entertainment-drenched American society that has so far refused to latch onto soccer in its professional guise (it's still the nation's most popular youth sport). Maybe Becks In LA will draw the attention away from the organized gang fights knowns as the NBA and the steroid-fuelled inanity of the NFL and will propel the MLS into orbit.

Don't forget that the NASL (North American Soccer League) also had the biggest stars of the game shortly after their best competitive years were over, and the Cosmos boasted Van Cruyff, Pele, and Beckenbauer (to name a few) and hosted gates of over 70,000. Soccer can be huge in this country. The reason the NASL folded was financial mismanagement coupled with blowing some TV deals and escalating salaries, all things the MLS has taken to heart as life lessons learned.

Welcome Becks!