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In Relation To Beckham, Breaks & Teammates
Last week, I wrote about how I believed David Beckham's teammates must feel like after Beckham basically broke his contract with Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy to play soccer (futbol is you're into the Spanish language) in Madrid (which, coincidentally, exists in Spain). I wrote this was how I'd feel if it one of my teammates did it:
"I can tell you how I'd feel. Mad. Upset. Furious. Betrayed. Betwixed. (I'd ask another teammate if it was possible for a man's man to feel betwixed, and if betwixed was really a word, before releasing that statement to the media.) Bottom line: This is worse than the ballplayer who takes part of a season off voluntarily before coming back to play. This is worse than Roger Clemens leaving the team in between starts to watch his wife play golf. This is worse than a player leaving the team for a few days over a contract dispute. As a teammate, I would think this is the ultimate middle finger aimed right at me and the rest of the guys I play with."
Another MLS player has spoken out, Kelly Gray. And go figure, he's in David Beckham's corner. I'm going to break the law and re-publish (thanks to Goal.com) Kelly's article, which he wrote by himself (him mother may have proofread it for bad words). Kelly makes some very good points, all respectable. He's completely taken the high road. But I know, deep down, there are many, many other guys who are mad as hell at David Beckham. He is breaking a contract. Bottom line. If he knew the World Cup was coming and he had to play in Europe to qualify to play with the English team, then why on earth did he come here in the first place? He should have known better.
And maybe, in the end, MLS and the LA Galaxy should have known better too.
Here's Kelly's thing.
Kelly Gray Column: The Beckham Saga
San Jose Earthquakes defender Kelly Gray checks in with his first Goal.com column of the 2009 season, offering his thoughts on David Beckham and why Los Angeles Galaxy fans should not hold a grudge against the star player.
Mar 17, 2009 8:07:32 AM
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The unfolding David Beckham saga these past few months has been exciting for me. It is a difficult situation to judge because, on one hand, I want to have a world-class player in MLS, while, on the other hand, I enjoy watching my former teammate play for Milan. I think that now that we know that he is going to stay with Milan through the summer we can all start to focus on the Beckhamless MLS. Now we will see what kind of effect he really had on the league.
Personally, I think that David would be crazy to come back and play for the Galaxy. Who in his right mind would pass up a chance to play for one of the most storied and successful clubs in the world?
This is not a knock against MLS in any way. It is just that MLS is not at the level of Serie A, and if he is trying to play at the highest level week in and week out—something we all try to do—then it only makes sense for him to stay in Italy.
I know there is going to be a major backlash against David from the fans when he comes back. But I don’t think this is necessary. If the fans asked themselves what they would do in this situation, I bet most would make the same decision. People may say that David is giving up on what he came to the league to accomplish, but is he? I mean, look at what his presence has accomplished in the year and a half that he has been here: Everyone in the world has now heard of the MLS; the Galaxy are now a worldwide brand; and David has made it known that the MLS is much better than most people think. The league is making strides both on and off the field because of the exposure that the Beckham name has brought to MLS.
It is apparent to everyone in the world that David is much more content playing around players who are just as famous and just as rich as he is. It must be a breath of fresh air for him to be hanging out with the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pato, Pirlo, Maldini, Inzaghi, Shevchenko, and Seedorf. All of these names are legendary in the world of football. It is night and day from the Galaxy, where the only name recognized outside of our country—or within it, for that matter—is Landon Donavon.
The league is going to be fine without David Beckham. And it may be a bit better if he ends up buying a franchise, as he is reportedly interested in doing. Attendance at Galaxy away games may suffer a bit, but David’s absence is not going to affect the quality of MLS. Every team has made some moves during this offseason, and I think 2009 is going to be even more competitive than last year.
On a different note. if there are any issues on which you would like to hear a player’s perspective, please email me through Goal.com at usa@goal.com.
Kelly Gray plays for the San Jose Earthquakes, who face the New England Revolution on Saturday. He also owns clothing company Adesso Clothing. His column appears every other Tuesday on Goal.com.
That's a very worthy and respectable response. I'm a baseball guy. The World Cup for soccer/football/futbol is as foreign as the language Liverpudlians speak. But still... You're not David Beckham. He's a smart man. He's a marketing machine. He's got smart people around him. .. I don't totally buy that this whole scenario was a surprise to him. Call me cynical. I still think there's more to it than innocent surprise.
And I could be wrong. David Beckham's people aren't returning my calls, so there you go.
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