Football Star Beckham in His Element on the Field

David, along with Victoria Beckham, who attended the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, expressed his satisfaction at being accorded a red carpet welcome.

A red carpet will not be rolled out for Beckham when he hits the field Saturday night at Giants Stadium where the match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Red Bulls is slated to be thrashed out. Even with a sizeable following in the United States, Beckham well understands the subdued stature that his brand of the sport commands amongst the American people. One might correctly say that the non-American brand of football is viewed here with a certain amount of forbearance that borders on cultivated respect that is at best shallow- sentiments made possible through exposure lent by cable and internet.

The ESPY party that Beckham attended did not do enough justice to his stardom status what with some celebrities showing some pre-occupation with Boston Celtics who were also present. However, this hardly made an impact on his composure as he knew the craze that American football, baseball and basketball commanded and his own international stature in world soccer which had earned him millions and made him one of the best proponents of the game.

Beckham’s public appearance, on every occasion, makes him an ambassador of soccer and a promoter of the sport in the United States, whether appropriately or not.

The Beckhams were leaving a restaurant one night some time back when they were confronted by about 70 enthusiasts- some belonging to the press and others who simply craved the company of celebrities. A random photograph that was taken during the occasion was scrutinized by experts in facial expressions belonging to The Daily Star, a British tabloid. Their verdict painted a skewed conjugal life of the Beckhams in Los Angeles and which they were trying to set straight.

After earlier attending a news conference in New Jersey on Friday and during a private interview in Manhattan Beckham said, “You laugh about it or you’ll go crazy.”

Not only are the Beckhams here to promote Major League Soccer but also themselves. But that does, in no way, detract from David’s fundamental image as one who plays superlative football as part of his team.

Most singers, who often find they are in maximum control of their jet set lives when they are deciding on their next song or interaction with the audience, could not agree with Beckham more when he said, “The safest place, the best place, is when I’m on the field.”
During his bus ride from New Jersey with his team Beckham said, “The banter never gets old.” The jibes, name calling and mirth are not foreign to him and things he grew up with in north London.

“The kids today want to be famous and make a lot of money,” he remarked. “Back then, you just wanted to play the game. I didn’t even think about all that stuff.”

David and his better half, also known to her fans as Posh of the Spice Girls, have, though, not entirely given the impression of being divorced from “all that stuff” and have, doubtlessly, lead a very materialistic life but which, in no way, diminished his excellence at the sport- even at 33.

Beckham’s popularity with his fans can be gauged from the fact that last August, even though he was disadvantaged with an injured ankle, a 66,237 strong crowd gathered to watch his performance at Meadowsland. This was the largest at Giant Stadium since 1980 for a league match. The same stadium had been witness to the likes of Pele and Beckenbauer and Beckham proved his point when he scored two early goals via free kicks with the help of his teammates.

Though Beckham has no expectation of a red carpet welcome when he plays against the Red Bulls on Saturday night, he surely would not mind some occasionally.