LA's had just about enough of 23

Justin Thrift
Opinion

I can’t believe I feel this way. Honestly, not since Johnny Damon committed baseball’s greatest act of treason in 2006 have I felt so duped as a sports fan. I’m talking about David Beckham and his recent antics with the Los Angeles Galaxy and their fans.

First, let’s set the record straight. Beckham has always been a footy icon to me. He’s been the face of England’s team for the past decade and easily one of my favorite English players. He instilled me with English pride from an early age and fueled my passion for the Four Lions. His ability to make free kicks sail, curve, and duck with incredible accuracy has made him an international soccer phenomenon, while his high profile seasons in Manchester and Madrid showcased him as a reliable ingredient to championship teams.

Quite simply, as a fan, I’ve always held him in the highest regard. When he came to the United States two years ago, I joined in with the excitement. It was remarkable to see Beckham prancing around and bringing attention and excitement to soccer pitches all across the continental US. I witnessed him fill an Entire Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, for a regular season game against the NE Revolution – and he didn’t even play due to injury. I remember turning to my brother in the stands and saying: “Is this even possible? Over 50,000 New Englander’s paying real money to come watch an MLS game? Are you kidding me? The Red Sox are on right now, and Beckham’s not even going to play! He’s just sitting there on the bench signing autographs and smiling for the big screen. Wow. Talk about an easy gig.”
And yet, the scene came to fruition; thousands of people donning Beckham jerseys, England shirts, premier league gear and endless amounts of other soccer paraphernalia. I was witnessing thousands of closet soccer fans springing from the local woodwork, a collection of fellow supporters I never knew existed. I was excited for him, and American Soccer. And a summer earlier, fresh off of another disappointing World Cup performance for the England team, I stood behind Beckham then with hope of him returning in 2010. “He’ll be back,” I said, “No manager, president, or player can keep Beckham from leading our boys back into the 2010 World Cup. He’ll be ripe and ready again in four years!” I had faith. Like a fool, I believed in David Beckham.

Not anymore. If I'm honest, I think number 23 has been suffering from a chronic case of California heat stroke (us Brits aren't meant to be exposed to direct sunlight for more than 3 hours at a time). In the past few months, David has provided me with first hand evidence of how large his head actually has grown over many years of adoring Spice Girls and exotic airbrushed photo shoots. It didn’t enrage me when Beckham went on loan to AC Milan: I understood why he would want to bolster his chances for making the England squad and spend his off months from the Galaxy playing in Europe. It didn’t infuriate me when he started missing MLS games, it just left me feeling disappointed, barely surprised. I wasn’t furious when Landon Donovan called Becks out publicly a few months ago, criticizing his lack of commitment and complete 360 care-less attitude toward American soccer; I agreed with Donovan, and was beginning to develop a somewhat sickened opinion of the career moves Becks was making. I was beginning to lose faith in one of my all-time sporting heroes.

But a few days ago, the water boiled over. I finally became intolerably sickened by Becks. Not only did Beckham return to the Galaxy seeming “shocked” at his negative LA reception during an ironic friendly against AC Milan, but he attempted to face-off directly with a particular group of angry LA fans. In my opinion, he’s made the transition to a verified finicky, spoiled, celebrity, no longer a passionate, heroic footballer. (By the way, I won’t mention a certain current LA baseball player, but no other place in the world is more apt to having this ego-altering effect on someone than Los Angeles. Thanks a lot you sun-stroked Laker fans!) It’s not bad enough that he flat out turned his back on his team, he actually expected to be welcomed back. He was downright defensive in his post-game press conference, offering these two particular rubies:

“I tried to shake one of the guy's hands but he didn't want any of it. That's the way it is.''

"It's to be expected. Sometimes it goes beyond it. The majority of the fans have been great.''

What crock. What a complete waste of my time, your time, anyone who follows sports’ time, and most importantly, what a waste of Galaxy fans’ time. I understand, LA. I don’t blame you for vilifying Becks and vocalizing your anger with his arrogant acts. Every fan who was ever excited about him playing routinely on American soil has been betrayed, and Becks is only adding insult to injury by refusing to address that some of his recent decisions are just plain wrong.

Maybe it’s unavoidable for a guy like Becks, but the sad reality is this: David Beckham is no longer solely a soccer player, he’s mostly a celebrity. This realization may be glaringly obvious, but I believe Beckham has just crossed the indecent threshold of letting his public life become defined not by his performance on the field, and in doing so, it has become almost impossible to retain the character he once displayed as a teenager for Sir Alex. He’s reached the ozone layer, folks, and everyone, including himself, knows it.

You’ve lost a fan in me, David. Your time has expired in sunny LA and the MLS. It’s time for David Bentley to begin shining his boots and ironing his England jersey for 2010.