Beckham 5 years $250mill

[scbison]

Should be able to keep his wife happy

[BisBison]

wtf?????

[scbison]

ESPN.com Illustration
David Beckham's five-year MLS deal reportedly is worth $250 million

[DenverBison05]

This really doesn't make much sense. *Beckham will now be the most highly paid sport athlete in the US in a sport that is at best ranked 5th in the American market, and probably worse than that. (i.e. behind golf, tennis, and nascar)
Here is a link (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=399465&root=mls&cc=5901&cc=5901) to the story.

[SDbison]

Its soccer, who cares! Soccer is a participation sport that anybody with two working legs can play. Soccer moms love it because they think it is so good for their little kids (not as dangerous as baseball, football or hockey they believe) and they can talk all they want during the boring games. Soccer dads love it because it takes little or no involvement with their kid to attain the skills required to play. Throw a ball in front of a 2 year old.......wow, they can kick it! So what if they play soccer at the pro level....still boring as hell.
Sorry if I seem a little brash but I am sick of all the hockey bashing that goes on here and I am getting a chance to put down a Third World / Euro sport I despise. Most of you don't like hockey because you couldn't skate and chew gum at the same time let alone make the moves on skates while passing, shooting and getting around other players trying to take the puck away or knock you on your butt. I have played almost every organized team sport including rugby and can tell you I find hockey the most difficult, yet most rewarding.

[scbison]

somebody needs a nap

[BisBison]

somebody needs a nap

not me, I just didn't know what you were talking about. I plead ignorance on this one.

[sambini]

I sure hope he can get by on this deal? Maybe he woulld like to donate a little to the new arena fund?

[Jeffdaryl3rd]

That is rather ridiculous. Heck, it was ridiculous when the Rangers gave it to Alex Rodriguez over twice as many years. Hopefully for the LA Galaxy's sake he scores a lot of goals and brings in a ton of fans and revenue otherwise that team is going to end up folding and taking MLS down with it.

[IowaBison]

Its soccer, who cares! Soccer is a participation sport that anybody with two working legs can play. Soccer moms love it because they think it is so good for their little kids (not as dangerous as baseball, football or hockey they believe) and they can talk all they want during the boring games. Soccer dads love it because it takes little or no involvement with their kid to attain the skills required to play. Throw a ball in front of a 2 year old.......wow, they can kick it! So what if they play soccer at the pro level....still boring as hell.
Sorry if I seem a little brash but I am sick of all the hockey bashing that goes on here and I am getting a chance to put down a Third World / Euro sport I despise. Most of you don't like hockey because you couldn't skate and chew gum at the same time let alone make the moves on skates while passing, shooting and getting around other players trying to take the puck away or knock you on your butt. I have played almost every organized team sport including rugby and can tell you I find hockey the most difficult, yet most rewarding.


Damn, I might have to look into that.

[bisonaudit]

It's not $250 million to play futbol, and most of the money is from the league not the team. The $250 is the max potential for the entire package which is tied heavily to marketing initiatives for the entire league and includes a place for him after his playing days are over so even if he ultimately earns a substantial portion that money it won't be over the 5 year term of his playing commitment.

[2006gwfcchamps]

The 250 number is with all his endorsements.

I think this was just a publicity stunt as I'm sure if you included all the income streams from endorsements that guys like Peyton Manning get, it would be right up there with 250.

[RodentiaX1]

Soccer is a participation sport that anybody with two working legs can play.

The same is true of hockey. Anyone can play any sport, even if they don't have working legs. It's a question of what level you can play at. For the average guy off the street playing soccer with good soccer players would be just as futile as it would for an average guy off the street to try to play hockey with good hockey players.

You may find soccer boring, but there are a lot of people who find hockey boring. The NHL takes a year off, and hardly anyone even notices.

[SDbison]

Soccer is a participation sport that anybody with two working legs can play.

The same is true of hockey. Anyone can play any sport, even if they don't have working legs. It's a question of what level you can play at. For the average guy off the street playing soccer with good soccer players would be just as futile as it would for an average guy off the street to try to play hockey with good hockey players.

You may find soccer boring, but there are a lot of people who find hockey boring. The NHL takes a year off, and hardly anyone even notices.
Hey Rodent, if you really read what I was saying you might understand. Any kid can kick a damn ball around from one year after birth. I have yet to see a parent stop down at the hockey rink, put the skates on their kid and have him or her start skating around with stick in hand and crudely making passes and shots. Takes some time to master skating and working with a stick. BTW, hockey has many more fans that have never played the game as compared to soccer. Soccer is a participoation sport because it requires little devotion to the game to begin with and even a non-athletic kid can run around and put their foot on the ball. I know that gives some parents a thrill, but I repeat again, anyones kid can do it with zero dollars and zero time invested. Ok, after getting started there is always going to be a progression of skill in anything from tiddly winks to auto racing. The fact is nobody gives a crap about soccer in the US because it is truely boring. Most of the NHL teams play in front of sellout crowds. That rarely happens for soccer unless you are near a population center with high percentage of Mexicans. Soccer, best damn Europeon and Third World sport around.

[RodentiaX1]

Hey Rodent, if you really read what I was saying you might understand. *Any kid can kick a damn ball around from one year after birth. *I have yet to see a parent stop down at the hockey rink, put the skates on their kid and have him or her start skating around with stick in hand and crudely making passes and shots. *Takes some time to master skating and working with a stick. *BTW, hockey has many more fans that have never played the game as compared to soccer. *Soccer is a participoation sport because it requires little devotion to the game to begin with and even a non-athletic kid can run around and put their foot on the ball. *I know that gives some parents a thrill, but I repeat again, anyones kid can do it with zero dollars and zero time invested. *Ok, after getting started there is always going to be a progression of skill in anything from tiddly winks to auto racing. *The fact is nobody gives a crap about soccer in the US because it is truely boring. *Most of the NHL teams play in front of sellout crowds. *That rarely happens for soccer unless you are near a population center with high percentage of Mexicans. *Soccer, best damn Europeon and Third World sport around.

I read your post, and understand it with crystal clarity. Sure, anyone can kick a ball, but anyone can hit a puck with a stick. It may take time to master skating and working with a stick, but it also takes time to master playing soccer.

Soccer doesn't require expensive equipment, but so what? Basketball doesn't require expenive equipment either. If the cost of equipment is so important than perhaps equestrian is the ultimate sport - after all, a horse and saddle is pretty expensive equipment.

The NHL may draw good crowds, but gets poor TV ratings. The NHL may be the fourth major sports league, but it is a very distant fourth. Again, the NHL looses an entire season, and no one seems to notice. When the baseball strike wiped out the world series, people were far vastly more interested.

I'm not a soccer fan, and I'm not against hockey (I do pay attention to Bemidji State's hockey team). But things need to be kept in some sort of perspective. Hockey's popularity is much closer to that of soccer than it is to football, basketball or baseball.

[Hammerhead]

I played soccer up through high school and played on an all-star team that played in a few international tournaments in Winnipeg and the Twin Cities, yet still find it kind of boring to watch.

Soccer is much more than kicking a ball like a toddler. To be a good player, it takes a combination of powerful kicks and a light touch like this guy has. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4505462782975458603&q=football+juggling&hl=en