Soccer

Becks Plays, Soccer Is Saved

Good news, footie fans: soccer in America has been saved. David Beckham took the field for the first time tonight and millions of US sportmen were instantly converted.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” said LA Galaxy owner Philip Anschutz. “I was starting to think I had wasted $50 million but now I know it has paid off in spades.”

Considered by many to be the greatest footballer in the world — and potentially the savior of football in America — Becks had been held out from his MLS debut by a nagging ankle injury. But finally on a soggy Thursday night the former English captain appeared on the pitch and the results were dramatic.

Across America, millions turned their sets away from the NFL friendly match between Indianapolis and Dallas and began watching FOX Soccer on digital cable and satellite. Millions more logged onto the Internet to get scores and highlights from around the MLS; some were even reportedly interested in news from the Premiership.

The sudden shift in American sports interest does have a downside for some. American football commissioner Roger Goodell has called an emergency meeting of all the team owners to discuss a strategy for how to deal with America’s soccer madness just as the NFL season is getting underway. ESPN is expected to announce it will change to an a 24-hour soccer network, shifting its many NCAA football games and Monday Night Football to ESPN Classic

“We have to respond to the changing tastes of the American sports fan,” said ESPN president George Bodenheimer. “So screw Kornheiser and that bunch. If its soccer the people want, it’s soccer they’ll get.”

Some observers, though, fear the onslaught of soccer mania could cause some Internet servers to shut down tomorrow. They warned that the online blackouts could occur when tens of millions of office workers finally begin to read David Hirshey’s daily soccer posts on the sports blog Deadspin.

Related Posts

• No Related Post