Beckham goes to Hollywood...

[bigyellow100]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=399465&cc=5901
 
 no f-ing way he is worth that much money.  thats prob more than the team itself.

[Shadrach]

Do you realize this will make him the highest paid athlete in America? A-Rod makes $252 million, but that's a 10-year contract. This contract is nearly twice that. Unbelievable. Tiger might make close to that, but he has to win to earn that money.

[vansmack]

http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=013662;p=5

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

And most of us still won't give a shit about soccer.
 
 I'll take me Gilbert Arenas anyday. More talent, more personality, and better looking.

[godsshoeshine]

oh yeah, gil all the way

[Guiny]

It's soccer, who cares?

[smakawhat]

most overated footballer ever
 
 VAMOS VAMOS UNITED!!

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Is there no one with a positive attitude about this out there?

[godsshoeshine]

http://www.930.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=013662;p=5

[Summerteeth]

People, L.A. is not paying $250 million.  Calm down.  That's a figure that includes endorsements, etc.

[eltee]

Does it include his wife's spending habit too?
 I think they want to be closer to TomKat.

[sacriforce]

Calling him overrated is rather facile. Almost as numbskulled as blaming him for Madrid's problems over the past 4-5 years.
 
 With Beckham you're getting a pretty good midfielder who works hard, stays fit and sparkles once in a while whether its due to luck or not. Off the field, you get a player who hangs out w fans and signs every last requested autograph - esp the kids. He's the  best ambassador for football any US fan could ask for.

[godsshoeshine]

he could be the worst player in the spanish league and he'd still be better than 90% of the mls players

[sacriforce]

the worst player in la liga's premiere division is better than alot of players on the planet. may not be as entertaining as the EPL but pound-for-pound  best skilled players in the world from table top to table bottom. well ...maybe not Gimnastic so much ...

[Shadrach]

So here's the latest: $51 million is his base contract for the 5-year MLS deal. The remaining $199 million is in endorsements.
 
 I might actually concede that as a spokesperson/model/celebrity he may be worth all that money in endorsements, but time will tell if the American public will give a crap if Beckham tells you to drink Mountain Dew or shave with a Gillette razor.
 
 Keep in mind that soccer is a market that has been tested and for the most part failed in this country. Personally I think it's a shame.