US soccer: Commend it like Beckham

The critics are wrong. Pro soccer in America is here to stay. And David Beckham's arrival is a good thing.

from the April 6, 2007 edition

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US loathing may also reflect an inferiority complex, because, undeniably, the US is a minnow in the soccer ocean.

The second obstacle – the NFL effort against MLS's predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL) – is not widely known. In its heyday in the late 1970s, the NASL was a serious presence on the US sports scene. The New York Cosmos, the league's flagship franchise, had little trouble filling Giants Stadium, especially when soccer legend Pele joined the team. The NFL, then not quite the juggernaut it is today, watched this development warily. Aided by a willing media, it began to vilify US soccer.

The media portrayed soccer players as foreign invaders, calling them "commie pansies." Soccer was derided as something for immigrants. Fearful of being perceived as un-American, many immigrants disavowed soccer – the pastime of their homelands – and embraced US sports.

In addition to applying pressure to newspapers, radio and television stations, and advertisers, the NFL also prohibited its owners from owning teams in other sports (an action directed chiefly against the NASL). The NASL sued, but the NFL won in court in 1982. The NASL folded in 1984.

Yet today, more than two decades later and against expectations, pro soccer in America is thriving. The MLS, now enjoying its 11th season, has made a commitment to nurturing home-grown talent. That's why Beckham's arrival signals not desperation, but celebration.

MLS today has sound management; its commissioner, interestingly enough, is the former head of NFL Europe. Many of the owners are ardent supporters of the sport; they have poured millions into building stadiums. Quite a few also happen to be billionaires. And some even own NFL teams. Adidas is a sponsor to the tune of more than $100 million over 10 years.

The MLS is nowhere close to the top European leagues – but that's not the point. Beckham's move is a step in the right direction. He still has a sweet right foot and I plan to watch his first match live.

• Parnesh Sharma, a PhD student at the faculty of law at the University of Oxford, lives and breathes Arsenal soccer.

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