I’m sure in some corner people have been talking about how David Beckham will transform soccer in America. I haven’t heard the conversation, but then again I usually don’t hear anyone talking about soccer.
I do see that in at least one aspect, Beckham’s $250 million arrival will make soccer more American. No, I don’t think Beckham will necessarily cause more Americans to watch soccer, or play soccer, or even like soccer. But this deal definitely makes the MLS pay structure much much more Americanesque:
Unfortunately for Becks, clouds have apparently started to circle over his new club, even before he joins them. His extraordinary wages are causing some friction with his future team-mates, with midfielder Peter Vagenas telling FiveLive: “Of course there is resentment. But a wise man once said you are worth what you negotiate. On the one hand you would say more power to him but on the other hand you think ‘why can’t I be earning that?” He gets £63,000 a year, hardly peanuts, but when compared to Becks…
However, LA Galaxy coach Frank Yallop insists that Vagenas’ comments were tongue-in-cheek: “I know our guys and they’re not the jealous type,” he said. “We have players on $31,000 a year, but we also have someone like Landon Donovan on big money. The salary cap is a way of life over here. He will drive the sport on here. Every kid under 10 in America plays soccer.
So the Galaxy now embody your good ol’ American corporation, with one guy (CEO) getting paid 500 times more than all the other workers. Imagine you are one of the no-names getting paid $30,000 to do pretty much the same thing as Beckham. Yeah, that ought to work well to build team unity.