LOS ANGELES - To the average football fan in America the exposure to Beckham fever is about as inevitable as fleas on a dog. If you live in Los Angeles and happen to be a Galaxy supporter you are the dog. No matter how you scratch you just can’t get rid of all that hype. It’s everywhere! Welcome to Beckham Mania.

You don’t have to be a football fan to be aware that David Beckham is Stateside. All the attention the U.S. media is showering his celebrity partner, Victoria, also known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, makes it inevitable that a good portion of the North American public will have heard the news. Of course, you’d have to be either a celebrity watcher or who thinks of themselves as a sports fan. I doubt that in the U.S. you could walk up to every person on the street and get a positive reply to the question, do you know who David Beckham is. Much less, expect them to know who he plays for.

That doesn’t stop the pundits of U.S. sports from yakking away though. By now, every sports journalist in America must have thrown his two cents worth at us. Suddenly, every one has something to say about a sport they know close to nothing about. A lifetime of following the U.S. sports of basketball, baseball and American football, all the while alternately ignoring and insulting football would make you think that perhaps they would sit this one out. Not a chance. The hype compels them to speak. Hey, got to get in on some of that action, right? The amount of comment from the sport cognoscenti in the U.S. is enough to fill a sewer to the brim.

The Language of Ignorance

Out of curiosity I recorded the program that was on the espn network’s main channel at the time of the Beckham presentation. I wanted to know just what their take was on all this. As far as expectations go, I was not disappointed at all. As is so typical of espn’s expert commentators, the ignorance and arrogance was breathtaking. Below is just a sampling of what the host and her panel of two had to say. I will refer to the two experts as Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

• Tweedledum says that he’s not an expert on soccer, but he thinks that Becks would not be much of anything without his wife, Posh. “There’s not much there, there.” All he’s done lately was score that winner versus Greece that got England to the Euros, Dum says.
• Tweedledee says that to be successful, “all the Beckhams need to do is be photogenic.”
• The host asks how Beckham in MLS “rehabilitates” soccer. (I guess that U.S. football needs to check into DARE.)
• Tweedledum claims that Beckham can be compared to LeBron James. “That doesn’t say much, but we’ve decided LeBron is it.” He’s not sure what James has proven, but he has proven more than Becks has on the pitch, he says with confidence.
• Tweedledum declares that he “wants to see if at age 31 he has any Bend it like Beckham left.” Furthermore, “he better jump off my television screen against what I think is inferior competition or I’m not gonna stick with it” To which Tweedledee responds, “if he doesn’t jump off in the first couple of games, guess what, football (American rugby) starts, you’re gone!”
• In reference to the record number of press credentials for the presentation, over 700, the host cries, “the Super Bowl has less credentials than this! That’s outrageous. That’s not right!”

Comments (27) >>

Eduard S said:

My apologies for not acknowledging our last three commenters. Miyong, I commiserate with you. I think that we can overcome our disappointment by trying to find out how our neighbors are making ground. One day the Philippines will compete with the best. Krammy, part of raising the profile of Philippine football is keeping it in the news. A lot of work is needed to keep our major papers, like the PDI, on their toes. Chris, hilarious comment. Becks may one day go to Japan, but all indications are that he is in the U.S. to stay. Viet Nam has many problems but they do love their football. That is one thing the Philippines lacks - a critical mass of football loving public. That's part of what this website is about. Thanks all for your contributions!

August 08, 2007

chris said:

Hi Ed, Great to see that your article is getting a lot of comments. Congratulations! You've finally answered my question, the one I was going to ask you but haven't had the time: about Beckham hitting LA. Interesting to read the media's response on their move, a media that think that they can make informed opinions on what they don't really know about. Methinks that he's actually planning to come to Japan by way of the US. He's just inching closer here so he can start his football school and make millions in ads for Toyota and Lipovitan-D. He's just absolutely adored here. In fact, his voice could give Mickey Mouse a run for his ratatouille . Speaking of Neverneverland, watching the Asian Cup from here, I can't help but be impressed by the stadium in Hanoi. It looks worldclass. If they can do it, why can't we? Looking forward to the Japan-Saudi game tom. A win could make old Osim relax his facial muscles. thanks for reading my ramblings. I've just had a really long and tiring day. More power to you.

July 24, 2007

krammy said:

everyday, i look at the news paper, particularly daily inquirer but i couldn't find an article about football... where is Philippine football team? are they resting or what?? evevrtime i watch tv i always checked on any sports channel but there's no Philippines... am i just left out or Philippine is not participating the game (what game is that? ASEAN?). i'm not really familiar with the competitions and CUPS whatsoever... but i want to see our team setting for football...

July 23, 2007

Miyong said:

I feel extremely saddened eveytime I turn on the TV to watch the Asian Cup only to see Vietnam, or some other SEA Nation playing it out with the rest of our Asian brothers, while we Filipinos are relegated to the couches of our living rooms. I feel so bothered by it I just end up turning the TV set off. Not that I don't like our other SEA brothers... It's just that I feel we should be there too, but we're cnot.

July 23, 2007

Eduard S said:

Delf, thank you. Your story is very welcome and a reason to hope. We need more of you in the news business. We also need more of your kind of readers, especially in Metro Manila. Our relationship with the media should be a two-way street. My fondest memories in football are of Bacolod, a genuine football-town.

July 21, 2007

delf said:

Mr. Smit, you raised very interesting points, especially on the philippine media's ignorance on the Asian Cup. Its really sad that the 'tour de france' demands more ink than the Asian Cup. In news, the element of proximity comes into play if you consider an Asian Cup story to be included in the page of a Philippine broadsheet. And since football --- not basketball --- is the no. 1 sport in the world, the asian cup's prominence should also be considered. In Thailand, The Nation and Bangkok Post provide an entire page just for football. And the NBA story? it gets a very small space below all the football stories. I am as puzzled as you are. Here in Bacolod, I make sure our readers are up-to-date on the Asian Cup if there's space. And I get a lot of feedback from readers because there are some who root for the southeast asian teams in the tournament, especially vietnam. One reader even emailed me to keep on publishing asian cup stories. hope my story is a welcome thought to you. thanks and more power

July 19, 2007 | url

Eduard S said:

Ryan, thanks for the link. You can add Josh Peters at Yahoo! Sports to the short list of US writers who get it. Antonio, good luck getting on the E! list! Ting, despite your infatuation with golf it's good to know that footie is still your number one love. James, bravo on that quick retort at the electronics store. Another warrior for football! Despite my loathing for Rupert Murdoch, I cannot live without Fox Soccer Channel. Break down already, will you? Paul, so good to hear from you again. Yes, the footballers are crawling out of the woodwork! We could use a former Philippine international's input here. I hope we hear more from you in the future. Reddevil, I consider PinoySoccer one of the best things about Philippine football in ages. Access to information has always been a problem. Alain has not only managed to get the news out, he is also helping coalesce a genuinely enthusiastic Philippine football community. In time the mainstream Philippine media will recognize what they are dealing with. We just need to assert ourselves. I have very fond memories of playing against and with our friends from Don Bosco Tondo. The Salesian brothers did a wonderful job there. These guys proved that you don't need money to develop the skills and intelligence of footballers. A focus on the basics and plenty of hard work can accomplish great things. Reddevil, I have also played both with and against Paul Zuluaga. Let me just say that I was much happier when he was playing on my side than the other. Thank you all for your responses. Keep them coming. Please continue to support PinoySoccer.com and Pinoy football.

July 19, 2007

reddevil said:

Eduard, Football is definitely more popular than golf in Metro Manila in terms of numbers but you also mentioned editors knowing who butters their bread. It wont necessarily mean it will sell more copies but their editorial policy is still dictated by politics and money. Something local football cant compete with. Anyway, I can leave it at that. Whats important is we all voice out our thoughts on this and it all points to the huge lack of support for the game in many levels, whatever the reasons or as you say excuses. I appreciate what you guys are doing with pinoysoccer and I am sure it will help in addressing these issues we are talking about. With the internet, i'd personally prefer just logging in to pinoysoccer for better coverage. Keep those articles coming and so will my comments as long you welcome them. Wow, Paul Zuluaga wrote in. One of my earlier football idols. I watched him play in Malaysia with the Philippine team in the Merdeka Cup a long , long time ago. I wont mention the year as it would divulge both our ages..lol. We invited the whole football team for lunch which was a huge kick for me back then and inspired me to strive to play better regardless of the results the Philippines had. On James Wilson's comment about playing against players with one shoe, the boys from Don Bosco Tondo didnt even have shoes and they still kicked our butts..lol. Regards to everyone.

July 19, 2007

Paul Zuluaga said:

Eduard, Looks like you've got a mini-reunion of football players writing comments on your article. I can't add much more to what you've printed and the other informed comments from the crowd. Just keep up the great articles and let's see how things develop in the world of football.

July 19, 2007 | url

James Wilson said:

Caught a couple of the AFC games over the internet and was wondering why there was no Philippine team. How about that Vietnamese team! Anyway, it prompted me to do a Google search for "Philippine Soccer Team" and look what I found. Yes, the Beckham bus has arrived in Los Angeles and just like you, the Tweedledees and Tweedledums are getting on my nerves. I wonder what they will have to say if he is unable to play against Chelsea this Sunday, because of his ankle injury. This may be the year I break down and subscribe to the Fox Soccer Channel. The Latino population in the US definitely account for a huge percentage of followers in the US. The Mexican National team played another Latin American team at the Oakland Coliseum a few months ago and it was packed to the rafters. The Oakland Raiders have not been able to do that in years! Speaking of insulting the sport, I was at one of the big electronics stores once and the Hispanic salesperson had a soccer game going on all the TVs. White punk saleskid, probably fresh out of high school, switches it to a football game and proudly announces ?Now, that?s a real man?s sport?. To which I replied with a smirk, ?Helmets and pads, huh.? Hispanic salesperson almost fell over laughing. Ramon, back in the day, Eduard played against teams where some players only had one shoe on! Great articles Eduard, I just finished reading all of them. Keep up the good work.

July 19, 2007

ting delfino said:

Wow - finally got a lot of responses on your article, Eduard! Congrats! You already know my take on this and won't get any arguments from me! Although I would like to add that being an avid golfer myself, I still tend to watch and follow football on TV and on the internet for news. Antonio - I doubt you'd make it on any of E's list :-)~

July 18, 2007

antonio adad said:

becky made E channel's top 10 sexiest celebrity blondes. personally, i think i'm better, except i'm not a blonde. i would have made E channel's top 10 sexiest celebrity brunettes, when they create it.

July 18, 2007

Eduard S said:

Glad that you found happiness here, Antonio.

July 18, 2007

Eduard S said:

Reddevil, you make a very good point of differentiating Metro Manila from the rest of the country. I agree with you on printing news that sells. I'm also familiar with their reasons, which I would rather term, excuses. Perhaps we should declare our assumptions about the numbers. Are there more Metro Manilans who follow and participate in golf than football? My assumption is no. I would venture to guess that the number in the metropolitan area who are into football far outnumber the fans of golf. Yes, there is the occasional successful Pinoy golfer that makes the news, but that does not explain the coverage given to obscure corporate executives competition. The reason this type of thing gets coverage is because the papers know who butters their bread, not how many copies of the paper they can sell on the street. The point is, the papers do not always use good copy as their standard. By sheer numbers the football community has as much, or more reason as the golfing community to be served. Thanks, again.

July 18, 2007

Ryan Abarquez said:

Wow! Someone in sports media actually gets it. Watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel's take on Beckham http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEJ8m_MDaYU

July 18, 2007

antonio adad said:

your comments of the IGNORANCE of the ESPN commentators on futbol cracks me up:-) oops! sorry, in this country (USA), they call it "soccer"! lol.

July 18, 2007

reddevil said:

Eduard, No doubt, in the Southern hotbeds like Iloilo and Negros, there is a lot of interest in football. I know all about Barotac Nuevo and familiar with a lot of great players from that region over the years. I agree with you that there are a lot of people interested in the sport, albeit unassertive as you mentioned. Finally I also agree with you that writing and calling the editorial desk is an effective way to shake up policy towards football or any other topic for that matter. Now let me clarify what Iam talking about with regards to media. My experience in newspapers tell me a few things things about what makes good copy. Firstly, for the national broad sheets, what matters most is what is marketable in Metro Manila as against the province. Due to that, editors will definitely give more coverage to elitist sports like golf and tennis especially for the grand slam events. The only football tournament that compares in terms of local coverage is the world cup which we all know happens every four years. What Alain says about the Asian Cup is true in a media sense. Our team isnt even there so printing articles just for the sake of people who are interested in football would not be a priority. It all boils down to what would make money for the papers. What is popular. They would take a picture of Manny Paquiao playing a half court basketball game in a depressed neighbourhood in Gen San rather than publish todays Asian Cup results. They'd even tell you if Manny's team won. We can even talk about television coverage. Local networks have absolutely zero coverage for football. Its all basketball and billiards, boxing. Again, because there is no sponsorship, no interest. Thank god for espn and star sports and now even solar sports (for giving us Bundesliga, Primera Liga and the South American leagues). But when you look at the program scheds for espn and star sports, they have a different line up for the Philippines as against what they show in Malyasia and India. Again, its just not popular enough. Iam not defending Philippine media, I hate it that we dont get enough football coverage. I just know why they do it.

July 18, 2007

Eduard S said:

Thanks for your comments Krammy and Ramon, Alain and Reddevil. I'm intrigued by the suggestion that there is a conspiracy among American sports equipment makers. In a way, this is related to Krammy's comment. Entrenched American sports interests and the media that play up the Beckham "event" are both motivated by profit. They only go about it in different ways. One party tries to shut down exposure to football while the other milks all it can from the margins of the sport.

July 18, 2007

Ramon Barrios said:

The reason on why those ignorant american media keep bashing football (the real version)is due to it not being a home grown sport. It was not originally played by their blue collar crowd. So for a lot of them it is unamerican for a foreign sport to be popular. Another factor to be considered is economics. Take a look at the roster and sports gear in their squads with the exception of basketball. In their version of football you have a very huge squad with all the padding. hemets,cleats, etc... each invidual wears. Also the same is true to an extent for baseball and hockey. In football all you need are shoes and shin guards. The American manufacturers (Wilson, Spalding) are very wary of football taking over due to their lose of market share. They lobby the media to put football in the back seat. As far as the Asian Cup is concerned, we will get there if only we stop jerking off in our football program. We claim that we are so far behind that it will be difficult to be competative. That might be true to an extent but lets us look at the basketball development of the middle east and central asia. They only recently have played it seriously and now we are worried from the teams of Lebanon and Jordan and the Kazak's keep whipping us!!!

July 18, 2007

krammy said:

it's been a big issue for most people eying football, Hollywood and beckham about his transfer to galaxy. but we should not give that much attention to this people because what we should be concerning of is our own country's sports than those people who do not do good for our poor-football country... i'm not against bekham, but at least, we Filipino will raise something useful for our country... at least we should help our country even in a very little way.... beckham can be an inspiration but not a God that we are into for almost most or our time...

July 18, 2007

Eduard S said:

My apologies to any canines that took offense. I love dogs - fleas or no fleas.

July 17, 2007

nandyv said:

Nice starting sentence! You got my attention immediately :-)

July 17, 2007 | url

Eduard S said:

Alain, Reddevil, Judging by the crowds that watched matches I played in the south I'd say that we have a pretty sizeable football-loving public. I think that you underestimate the number of people who are interested and knowledgeable. They just don't assert themselves or are too busy making a living. Even assuming that it is pretty small, think about the US situation. Here you have to deal with sports media openly hostile to football. We don't have that in the Philippines. If you take out the Latino population, who in large part get their news from the Spanish-language media, the population that follows football in the States is pretty small, too, proportionately. Still, we get footie regularly on television and the papers do cover football, however limited. I don't buy the excuse used by the media that you both mentioned in your comments. Look again at how much coverage is given to elite, rich-men's games like golf and compare that with footie news. If an extremely minor sport like golf can get that much attention then surely we can get as much for football. I'm speaking from experience when I say that writing and calling the papers helps. In the late 70's we even had the papers publishing scores and tables. Back then we didn't have anything like the Younghusbands or international success on local soil. It's the media's business to know their potential readership. If they fail to do that then we should let them know that they are.

July 17, 2007

Eduard S said:

Thanks for your comment, Peter. Not many prominent athletes can be considered role models. Personally, I don't think that any athlete should be a role model in a general sense. A young athlete would not do wrong to look to him for inspiration. The guy does work hard. The Philippine sport media needs to know that there is a large enough footballing community that deserves to be catered to. A little more activism from the ranks would really help. A couple of calls or texts to a paper's sports desk can do wonders. It's not our soil that's the problem. It's our gardeners the PFF. You do good work, Peter. Thanks.

July 17, 2007

Alain Escalante said:

Yep.. those old bastards in the US sports media! I don't waste my energy on them. The fact the they in the mainstream talk and bash soccer, that just proves we are winning the battle. Soon they will retire and be replaced by football loving generation. Oh yes, it will happen, just wait. Philippine football is very fortunate not to have to deal with this. I think Pinoy media are more open to new things foreign to them and can adopt fast. And they probably don't care if the sports was made in their country or NOT. If they see it's good enough for America, it certainly is good for the Philippines. That's why I can't wait for soccer to get into the next level here in the US, because that will surely leave the door wide open for soccer in the Philippines. As for the Asian Cup and the Philippine media. Most don't give a damn about their own football, why would you think they should go crazy on this regional tournament? And we are not even on it. Yes, if we are a soccer nation, then you have a good case. But we are not. We post 2-3 news on Asian football every day. That's way better than our coverage for Philippine football - which we are lucky if we get a news daily.

July 17, 2007 | url

reddevil said:

Well, I guess thats par for the course for Amrican sports analysts on the topic of football. Ive heard a lot worse over the years (especially when the US hosted the World Cup). Its funny, when they say, "Iam not an expert" and then start shooting themselves in the foot. Like you said, they talk too much and just cant resist to give their opinion. Its also par for the course for Beckham. I was surprised only 300 fans showed up when he touched down in LA. The media has been like that towards him when he was in Man U as well as Real. So much so in fact thats why Alex Ferguson let him go, it just proved too much of a distraction from the business of football. On the Asian Cup, it is disappointing with how local media is covering this event. I've been lamenting how the sport really has not been supported by media ever since. It just doesnt make good copy. Editors just wont make addional effort to give it more exposure than they have to. It boils down to the popularity of the sport here. Thats why it is up to sites like pinoysoccer.com to lead the way in terms of educating the public on really what is so beautiful about the Game. I've been following the Asian Cup myself and when you see how well Vietnam is playing, you cant help but feel so envious. They have made big strides in the last five or so years. Their composure and tenacity is proof enough anything is possible on the pitch. On Peter's comment on the Philippines being the Brazil of Asia, its a bit optimistic but heck, I'll drink to that.

July 17, 2007

Peter Amores said:

Iam a big Beckham fan, not because of his looks, skills, money, or wife but how he manages his life in general, eventhough he has stumbled before he knows how to pick himself up and move forward. I think thats what he is being paid for, thats what makes him very marketable he is close to being a role model for the western culture in football and in life perhaps. In regards to the Philippine Media I TOTALLY AGREE with you! Shame on them, I think it is because the media is used to catering to what the public wants to hear and see, they are reactive to the response they want to get. Where in fact the media should show what is needed to be shown and what the viewers should see, in other words dictate the pace and show them the direction in terms of sports speciall football. But I cant blame them, if the U.S. are ignorant about the sport....what more the Philippines. I manage the football division of Mizuno and founder of Futkal, I have been exposed to the football world for more than 20 years. Based on the feed back i have gotten all over the years it is a common knowledge that football is a perfect sport for Filipinos, the question is how come the sport has never reached its potential, 2007 embarks the 100th year of Philippine football....until now we are still in grassroots level...is that how bad our soil is? As for me the saga continues my faith is still there just like yours, i believe that Philippine football will rise and be a formidable force in the football world. they say that Protugal is the Brazil of Europe, I believe the Philippines are the Brail of Asia. Cheers!

July 17, 2007 | url

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