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07/13/2007
Beatlemania vs. Beckham-mania: A Tale of Two British Invasions
Of course I may be treading on sacrilegious ground by drawing connections between the robots and the Fab Four, but here goes.
On February 7th, 1964, when the Beatles arrived at JFK, a line-up of the fanatical American public greeted the British celebrities. Forty-three years later, at LAX, they send their emissaries, the paparazzi.
Plenty has changed in all that time, except perhaps the style of metal barricades.
The arrival, after the jump...
Posted 9:20 AM EST by Andy in David Beckham, Great Britain, News, Victoria Beckham | Permalink
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There's a huge difference between genuine fans who would trek all the way out to JFK vs. a throng of papparrazi & press.
David Beckham is hot but will NOT sell Professional Soccer to this country & his wife is utterly worthless.
I'd rather eat my own shit than pay any more attention to them.
Posted by: Shirley | Jul 13, 2007 9:29:15 AM
Umm, these two events have ZERO to do which each other.
Posted by: protogenes | Jul 13, 2007 9:31:53 AM
Uh, Shirley, I think the huge difference is the whole point of this post.
Posted by: dan | Jul 13, 2007 9:34:59 AM
Jeez, lighten up Shirley. At least they are actual 'celebrities'. She was part of one of the most succesful groups of all time (not to everyones taste of course) and he has been playing at the hightest level of the world's most popular sport since he was a teenager. He's a global superstar, and sweet-natured with it. Not to mention hot! So if we have to have celebrities foisted upon us everywhere we look, lets make it David, Oh ok, Vicky too.
Posted by: Ror | Jul 13, 2007 9:50:17 AM
I just got the W mag with the new pics, soo much better than the pics posted online. That man is beautiful.
Posted by: Davey | Jul 13, 2007 9:50:55 AM
He's now over on this continent, so that technically means I'm moving closer to sleeping with him.
Posted by: Gregoire | Jul 13, 2007 9:53:31 AM
Ha! I love Shirley! Tell it.
P.S. ROR - "global superstar?" If you say so. And, the Spice Girls were one of the most successful groups of the 1990s, not "of all time." (shudder)
From your post I am guessing you are about 15 or 16 - at least mentally. ;-)
Posted by: shane | Jul 13, 2007 10:01:12 AM
LOL Dan & Ror. Surely you are mistaken as to who posted what, and don't call me Shirley.
Posted by: protogenes | Jul 13, 2007 10:01:58 AM
I'm looking forward to watching Beckham play for the LA Galaxy. I've watched only a few MLS games, but adding a European soccer star to the roster could convince me to watch regularly.
Anyone who says he's not going to change soccer in America is just flat wrong. Ticket sales to Galaxy games have already doubled.
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 13, 2007 10:06:21 AM
Does she ever appear in public anything less than perfectly done up? Love her!
Posted by: Brandon | Jul 13, 2007 10:14:37 AM
True story:
I love them.
Posted by: David | Jul 13, 2007 10:21:45 AM
I still don't understand why we are supposed to care about them.
Posted by: Daniel | Jul 13, 2007 10:22:01 AM
Yawn.
Posted by: homer | Jul 13, 2007 10:23:53 AM
Here's another bit of info: LA Galaxy has already received 250,000 pre-orders for the Beckham jersey. They cost $80 each. That's $20 million in revenue, and he just arrived today.
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 13, 2007 10:29:20 AM
beckam has washed out over in the UK. he is getting too old to compete against other european soccer players let alone be up to snuff to play with his younger and quicker former team mates.
This is his way of trying to stay relevant and well paid while getting long in the tooth for an athlete. Sports are a young man's game.
Posted by: anon | Jul 13, 2007 10:42:18 AM
PS
Yes that is a slap at american soccer players. Our soccer players SUCK when compared to teams outside of the US. beckham has slipped in ability down to US soccer talent level, and you all are getting sucked in by the slick ad campaign.
Posted by: anon | Jul 13, 2007 10:45:10 AM
as much as i'd like to spend a Hard Day's Night with the guy...
...can't wait to see all the pics of him sporting uggs and a trucker hat, with starbucks in hand.
Posted by: A.J. | Jul 13, 2007 10:45:33 AM
meanwhile, why do all the Lewis Payton posts have the comments disabled ??
Posted by: A.J. | Jul 13, 2007 10:50:25 AM
"posted by andy in david beckham"... tee-hee.
Posted by: sean | Jul 13, 2007 10:53:27 AM
Probably because of all the useless, nasty comments they generate from jealous, self-loathing queens. I haven't seen one LP post that hasn't turned into a nasty bitter divided catfight.
Posted by: carter | Jul 13, 2007 10:53:48 AM
Enjoy your meal, Shirley -- I'm sure it suits you.
ROR -- spot on.
And to the courageous ANON, re "slick ad campaign" -- so what? What's the worst this "campaign" could do? Get people interested in soccer and out playing it (which could help Rep. Allan lose weight and score better in bathrooms)...promote his soccer camps for poor kids in the UK and US...sell some of his wife's sunglass designs...maybe move a few units from the Spice Girls back catalogue...
Not smoking, drinking too much, watching John Travolta movies or other nefarious crap.
I could be wrong, but so much of the hating of these two seems to be knee-jerk jealousy or 'joining the choir" versus studied consideration of the pros and cons of these two.
The guy is a hot, fantastic athlete. The gal is a clever and stylish (eye of beholder) woman who knows branding.
Get over it.
Posted by: Becks07 | Jul 13, 2007 11:21:01 AM
Anon: You might want to actually learn something about English soccer before posting your ignorant comments.
In June, David Beckham was recalled to the English national team after 11 months away. In a game against Estonia, he provided 2 assists, which led to England's 3-0 win. He is considered the savior for England's Euro-2008 qualifying campaign, and Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatović reportedly tried to find a way to cancel his Galaxy deal.
He is by no means washed up.
Also, grow some balls and stop posting anonymously.
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 13, 2007 11:23:04 AM
becks I do not denegrate what beckham does. Just pointing out he is nowhere near the stellar young athlete he once was. He was going to be forced to quit playing back in the UK because he could no longer keep up with his younger team mates, so he ran head over heels here to america to play with athletes that can't compete with him even if he had a walker and a colostomy bag on. Compared to US soccer players Becks is still a soccer god. In the Uk not so much.
Posted by: anon | Jul 13, 2007 11:25:22 AM
Wow - I didn't think this topic could bore me more than it already had until I read the new posts.
Posted by: shane | Jul 13, 2007 11:34:41 AM
Interesting ANON -- I will grant you he is older, but Becks -- as I am SURE you know -- was never a pace player. He was a passer, crosser and set-piece producer, as well as dressing room leader. He himself says so.
As for fading away, yes, his days are less than they were at his debut but Giggsy, Scholesy, and others are older than him and still performing magnificently. And let's not forget that Becks performed an almost Tevez-like resurrection for Real and has performed with distinction after reinstatement to England.
Far from being a shadow of his former self (cf Best, Beckenbauer and, yes, even Pele) who came over here to party at Studio 54 and get laid, Becks is here still in the sweet spot of his career and he's trying to make soccer a bigger factor.
You seem to be interested in soccer -- isn't the bigger story here the increased visibility of the sport for America and can't you put your disdain behind you and be happy about that outcome? The worst that can happen is the quality of play you find so abysmal will increase and more kids will want to make a career of it and...in a few years...maybe the USA will be in the World Cup final (where they will lose to England LOL)?
Cheers.
Posted by: Becks07 | Jul 13, 2007 11:37:34 AM
This is absurd.
Posted by: Rafael | Jul 13, 2007 11:45:15 AM
I'm far from being ga-ga over David Beckham and I know nothing about soccer, but...
1) A hot man just moved to America.
and...
2) We might actually become interested in Soccer (the real football for the rest of the world).
Win win.
If you're hating on this, you really don't have enough going on in your life to get worked up over do you?
Posted by: mark m | Jul 13, 2007 11:57:46 AM
Ugh! All of the good seats are already taken for the Red Bulls/Galaxy match which is the only time Becks wiil be playing in the east this year. If a Red Bulls match is on the verge of selling out you KNOW something has seriously shifted in the American soccer universe.
Posted by: Giovanni | Jul 13, 2007 12:26:38 PM
Gregoire...I love your logic!
Anon...I really don't think many people here give a flying fuck about soccer and whether or not Beckham is still a world class soccer player...I know I don't...but I'd pay good money to have a seat near the field on the off chance that Beckham might somehow fling his sweat on me. And, oh, to be in that locker room!
Posted by: peterparker | Jul 13, 2007 2:02:19 PM
Does the fact that they arrived at LAX mean they actually flew a commercial jet?
Posted by: peterparker | Jul 13, 2007 2:06:00 PM
Yes, they took British Airways.
Posted by: chrisb | Jul 13, 2007 2:25:00 PM
Why is everyone acting like they just arrived here, when they've been in and out of L.A for months?
Those two are a complete media fabrication. They can pay David Beckham a billion dollars, and he still couldn't sell soccer to the average american. It's fucking BORING.
As far as his sex appeal goes, I guess average is the new sexy for some. I see better looking guys at the gym everyday.
He also sounds like a british Mike Tyson. That's not hot.
His wife is NOT a style icon, and has ZERO personality. zzz
I have no doubt he'll sell a lot of tickets to galaxy games, but that's because celeb worshippers want to be able to say they saw him play. It's the freak factor.
The real goal of this tacky twosome is to break into Hollywood, and that has always been the plan.
Posted by: michael | Jul 13, 2007 3:06:19 PM
"...to the average american. It's fucking BORING."
I am guessing the operative word here is average.
Posted by: Giovanni | Jul 13, 2007 3:25:38 PM
Maybe you need to break out of your provincial mode Michael.
Beckham dosen't need Hollywood, he's condisered one of the best ever in Soccer, a game played by hundreds of millions worldwide and watched and enjoyed by literally billions. Compare that to our football or baseball.
He has always been a great fund raiser for many very important charities and for all his fame has remained a pretty decent person.
If only 10% more people are encouraged to watch and support American soccer it will be well worth the money they pay him.
Posted by: Joshua | Jul 13, 2007 5:38:28 PM
I live in NEW YORK CITY (born and raised). Hardly a fucking province.
Anyone who doesn't understand that he and Victoria are here to conquer Hollywood, has rocks for brains.
As far as the "average american" goes, most of them don't live in New York or L.A. Middle americans could care less about soccer.
Posted by: michael | Jul 13, 2007 7:14:57 PM
not sure about the comments about him being burnt out... he recently was brought back into the England team and WAS CRITICAL to the England team getting into the Euro 2008. He was asked to return to AC Milan but turned it down to go to LA. In fact the only reason he's over there is probably because his good lady wife has been forced to live in Madrid for years! So stop being so cynical he's extremely talented and could outplay a lot of his younger team mates any day.. He's also loaded and is only 32.. totally self made man.. you should love him! I thought people in America love self made money unlike Europeans!
Posted by: dan j | Jul 14, 2007 5:51:48 AM
You've got to be kidding. Who the hell cares about Beckham? Like the earlier post said - one is a picture of adoring fans, the other is a picture of throngs of scavenging photographers - who will sell most of the pics to European papers. America doesn't care about these people. And if they end up caring, it will only be because they hired the best publicists to thrust them down our throats continuously - as Paris Hilton did several years ago.
And the idea that the Spice Girls are one of the most successful bands in hisory is laughable. What an idiotic statement. They had a flash run of a few years and made some money. I'm sorry, but Posh looks like a FREAK in most of her pics. Those breasts are so angular and ridiculous looking. And all the tattooes on Beckham? Enough already!
Don't care.
Posted by: daniel | Jul 14, 2007 8:08:13 AM
ChrisB,
what you said about him being recalled to the national team is true. but haven't you heard (according to some sources which i'm not sure am reliable or not) that he regretted his decision and manchester united actually tried to nullify his contract with galaxy (this was reported) because he wanted to stay in europe and play at an international level after realizing that he was still capable of playing at the highest level?
well, he's by no means washed-up but then again just face it that the american soccer level is indeed 2nd class compared to european level. and i am a soccer fan so i know that.
Posted by: doesitmatter | Jul 15, 2007 8:23:59 PM
and Dan J, Beckham was playing in Real Madrid, thats in Spain, and not AC Milan, which is in Italy.
Posted by: doesitmatter | Jul 15, 2007 9:22:58 PM
sorry but i shouldve said everything in one post. the funny thing is, ppl say that they couldnt care less about the beckhams, but they do care to click on the caption, and read the text, and read the comments, and then comment themselves....
i mean come on, who are you guys trying to fool?
Posted by: doesitmatter | Jul 15, 2007 9:26:03 PM