David Beckham, internationally renowned soccer superstar, has signed a five-year, $250 million contract with the Major League Soccer franchise the Los Angeles Galaxy. Combined with endorsements, this could add up to $55 million per year or more. Let’s break that down.That’s more than $1 million per week. That’s more than $150,000 per day. Pretty fantastic, right? To put that in perspective, consider that his daily salary is just over eight times what Robert Scribner considers an impressive annual salary.
This is one of the most lucrative sports deals ever, but here is the question: Does Beckham deserve such an exorbitant sum?
What a stupid question. Of course he does. Not only has Beckham proven himself to be a worthy competitor on the field (twice runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award), he is also a very attractive man (or so I hear). Had he not signed with Los Angeles, he surely would have found a similar deal elsewhere.
But is it really all about the money? Beckham denies this, claiming that his main motive in leaving his former team Real Madrid is to help soccer grow in America, a country that has failed to embrace the game at the professional level.
Furthermore, the 31-year-old Beckham is obviously no spring chicken. He had only started in seven of Real Madrid’s 25 matches before the contract was announced.
Beckham seems to be approaching the status of autumn chicken, which is generally equated to the low-quality meats sold at Zaxby’s or Popeye’s. Of course, Americans love Zaxby’s and Popeye’s, so he will probably draw a crowd. An explosion in MLS ticket sales thus far seem to indicate as much.
Still, to say that Beckham’s move was not primarily driven by monetary incentive seems a bit na’ve. That’s like saying the opinion writers of The Reflector are not in it for the $20 that they receive per article. Yeah, right. Get real.
But that’s OK with me. Beckham is definitely good at kicking soccer balls, and he commands such a contract. He is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, thanks to his achievements in and out of sport.
And of course, Beckham has a family to support, including his beautiful and talented wife, Posh Spice, former member of my favorite band, the Spice Girls.
As the song goes, “If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give. Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is.” Luckily, Beckham has plenty to give. It looks like their marriage is intact.