Beckham is Back. Ho Hum.

Wow! The Los Angeles Galaxy is not losing Posh Beckham after all. Next thing you will tell me is the guy who replaced Vince Neil when Vince decided to go racing will rejoin Motley Crue. One of the biggest names in the world joins the biggest sporting country in the world and nobody cared when he was here not even Tom Cruise. No one will throw a Bon Voyage party for him either. What makes me qualified to say all this. I have seen with my own eyes the highest level of five different sports available in North America :

• Soccer (NASL)
• Hockey (NHL)
• American Tackle Football (NFL)
• Baseball (MLB National and American League)
• Basketball (NBA)

Four of those leagues are the best level in the whole world. Four of those leagues still play today. Take a guess which league folded because of apathy from North American audiences. Yes, the soccer league that once hosted Pele and George Best.

First of all let me explain global sport to you all. Soccer is the world's most popular team sport by far. Soccer is popular even in undeveloped nations because:

1) it is so easy to get a game going (ball and surface required)
2) It is a low concept sport. Meaning it can be explained in one semi awkward sentence. 10 guys only touch ball with feet, one guy can also use his hands to defend a 10 X 6 foot frame.

Basketball is dominant in the Philippines and that is another low concept sport. Five guys dribble, shoot , pass and rebound the ball through a hoop ten feet off the ground. It is so dominant here there is no other competition for spectator sport. This is the only country that enjoys such a basketball monopoly and we are not even dominant in our region, let alone the world. You get a guy here that loves Talk N Text (local basketball team) and the ice age will return to Manila before you can get them to comprehend a) the 3-4 defense b) the double switch c) the icing call .

Let me explain how phony those celeb pictures above are. Tom and Katie will normally not be caught dead a US soccer player. But they make exception for a guy who was a mega celeb in Europe and is married to a Spice Girl. Do you think anybody else in the LA Galaxy has a chance with Scary Spice??

So I digress. For years North American sports fans are spoiled in terms of their sports choices. From competition the cream will rise to the crop. They have the four world class sports leagues that play there every year. They enjoy low concept and high concept sports. Soccer is definitely fun to play but alongside NFL football and other sports , it does not draw the viewers in North America. They are spoiled.

Ed





http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=AnVLPI8AOiuChRqvl9TYLbImw7YF?slug=ap-mls-galaxy-beckham&prov=ap&type=lgns (Beckham news)

Why The US does not care about soccer:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worldcup/2006-07-06-soccer-in-the-us_x.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_football_soccer_not_more_popular_in_the_US

http://www.helium.com/items/1078243-why-soccer-is-not-so-popular-in-the-us-as-elsewhere

related

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/263/The_Filipino_Olympic_Effort_and_Results_my_reaction_


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/260/My_thoughts_on_the_US_Medal_Count

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/267/Reality_of_why_the_Philippines_is_nowhere_near_a_medal_as_of_now