Those “Stop the Presses!” headlines from Monday night are only a starting point. David Beckham splitting amicably with the Galaxy after six strong seasons (mostly strong on the field, always a fearsome force in wow-wow factor) is hardly the checkered flag at the finish line.
There are tons of tentacles branching out on this one, so let’s look at where the story will travel from here:
- Beckham’s next stop is foremost in the unfolding tale. Early pundit leanings seemed to focus on the significance of Beckham saying he is leaving the Galaxy, rather than leaving MLS. So came the early momentum behind a “Beckham to the Red Bulls” rumor. Pure guesswork at this point, but there it is.
- If not here, where? Assuming Beckham does feel like a man with few more kicks left in his shiny boots … Japan? Australia? Russia? Those would all qualify as “new frontiers” for Brand Beckham and his strategic deciders at Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment.
(MORE: Will the man’s next playing spell be “short term?”)
- What’s up with this seemingly less-than-ideal timing? Beckham and 19 Entertainment just made the 17th MLS Cup all about him, intentionally or not. As PST colleague Richard Farley noted yesterday on Twitter, MLS Cup 2011 was all about Beckham, would he stay or would he go (following that initial five-year monster deal)? He signed a new two-year agreement shortly thereafter, so we seemed to dwell happily in a Beckham Drama-free zone for ’12. Guess not. Alas, another year of much media eulogizing of Becks’ days in MLS. (Hey! No cutting and pasting, boys and girls.)
- So there’s lots of ground to cover on the timing. For instance, would anyone at league level have preferred Beckham make this announcement on Dec. 2, on the morning after MLS Cup? And would the Galaxy’s competitive pursuits be better off without the distraction of more Beckham brouhaha?
(MORE: Beckham closing his days in L.A.)
- Or is it possible that MLS Cup, for the first time on a Saturday night, needed this extra shot of media whiskey to jazz up a final that’s exactly the same as last year’s? (Same teams, same venue.)
- The other big thread in this huge ball of Beckham yarn: What’s next for the Galaxy? The Frank Lampard talk has languished in media speculation land for some time, aided by the Chelsea man’s appearance last summer in sunny So Cal. Or is Didier Drogba willing to trade his Chinese currency for a few American dollars? Either way, given the AEG ownership group’s penchant for the splashy-dashy, you know a big name is out there.
- Can the next man into the “Beckham hole” be a needle mover the way he was? Short answer is “no way.” Beckham was peerless in his collective marketing muscle. But that won’t stop us all from exploring the question.
- Now there’s a chance that L.A. Galaxy 2013 will look remarkably different. Not only will Bruce Arena’s side be one former England captain short, it could well be without Landon Donovan, too. Let’s discuss, shall we?
- You just know Houston manager Dominic Kinnear is loving all this intense focus on the Galaxy – the better for his team, champions of easy-going humility anyway, to prep for a Dec. 1 ambush.
- And what of Beckham’s MLS ownership ambition? Beckham seems keen (to use a word from his native vernacular) on exercising that unique option of buying into an MLS team at below-market rate. Grant Wahl from SI.com has reported that discount figure at $25 million, which would be a dandy bargain considering that Montreal just bought in at $40 million. The exception clause is New York’s second franchise, apparently, which MLS commissioner Don Garber has valued at closer to $100 million. Sorry, ‘bout that, Becks.
