Bend it like Who?
Today.
The 21st Day of July in the Year 2007.
Possibly the greatest active football player, and maybe even one of the greatest in all of history, made his American MLS debut, coming to the country where the World's Sport has been played in the shadows of the Rich, the Corrupt, and the No Longer Sporting Games we call American Sports.
Perhaps now America will join the rest of the world in the Game of Football, the World's Sport.
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Beckham played for 13 minutes, and I have to say, though I am not a fan of the teams he has played for (Manchester United, Real Madrid), I was captivated by him the last nine days. I read the Sports Section of every paper to catch up on him and his injury, and I was amongst those who gasped when Steve Sidwell tackled Beckham, and held my breath until Beckham stood, a grimace on his face...I know all to well the feeling of that Injury which has not quite healed, you go out and play on it, only to have it get hit. Do you sit out? Do you limp to the bench, clutching your knee in angony? No. You keep on going, all the while cursing and swearing under your breath, and only after do you see the damage.
We won 1-nil, which was nice, but what was even nicer was seeing a packed stadium to watch Football. And not that game a bunch of rich sissies play with pounds and pounds of padding to protect their manicured fingers, their waxed bodies...I am talking about the most simple of games. A net, a ball...and a wide open pitch. No other equipment is needed, and the rules are so simple that anyone, regardless of what language they speak, can play with one another and no one has a problem.
Welcome to the Era of Beckham. May we all hope that America becomes one with the World's Sport.
