Soccer Analyst for Fox Soccer Report and Fox Soccer News 24/7 from 2001 to 2013 and I can now be seen on Soccer Central in Canada.  I have been a soccer writer and broadcaster for over 20 years and I have followed the world's game for as long as I care to remember.  I also write a regular column at soccerly.com. 

“The realization of a dream for Paris Saint Germain came to fruition yesterday.” 

So much Kool-Aid; so little time. 

Of course six years ago you could have replaced Paris Saint Germain with Los Angeles Galaxy and Ligue 1 with Major League Soccer. 

A sober assessment of Beckham’s six seasons in MLS would tell you that few if any of the lofty expectations set out in 2007 were actually achieved.  Remember the accepted-as-fact $250M contract? 

Beckham’s time in MLS increased visibility for the league not only in North America but around the world.  But did MLS have to fight off hoards of international broadcasters ready to toss hundreds of millions of dollars their way? 

By the end of the Beckham era international rights holders for MLS amounted to 46 broadcaster partners. 

In an industry that has seen increased competition for live sports and soccer inventory in the last five years or so the fact that no dollar value was included in the press release tells you that the deals are all about exposure and contribute very little to the bottom line. 

MLS saw an increase in attendance during the Beckham-era; 2006 it was 15,504 and last year it had reached 18,807.  When measured over 323 games that means that an additional 1,065,000 spectators watched MLS on an apples-to-apples basis. 

But Seattle Sounders and their remarkable fans accounted for 733,000 and alone boosted the average for the entire league by over 1,400 fans per game.  After adjusting for the Sounders, the average increase for MLS games was 1,900 spectators. 

(The Los Angeles Galaxy average attendance rose by about 2,200 from 2006 to 2012.) 

Growth is good but I have yet to see any articles predict that the arrival of Beckham in Ligue 1 will add a modest 10% more fans to the present average Ligue 1 average gate of 19,000. 

And remember the MLS experience lasted six seasons.  Beckham’s deal with PSG lasts 5 months – about the same length of time a company would hire a summer student. 

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You point out the attendance growth at MLS (and Sounders games) but these have come at a cost.  Check out this graph that shows how much many teams pay to put a fan in a seat: http://www.thesoccerist.com/2013/01/the-value-of-seat-at-mls-game.html. 

Of course, the Sounders fare pretty well here, but with New York spending about $900 per fan, you wonder how long this can last? 

it is what happens when you have a media darling.  Modern Media does this, look at Lance Armstrong.  for all the people who boo him and call him a great evil and etc.  people forget how much of a media darling he was.  Beckham has been very fortunate, he played for ManU at their height under ferguson.  He played for the Galacticos with Zidane and ROnaldo.  He played with Milan with all the legends.  He played for the fiscally top side of the MLS as well as being organizationally focused LA Galaxy.  When you play for top sides, you win, and with modern media, which doesnt sleep, winning means people love you.  Look at Tiger woods, people nick him now, but forget how he was beloved.  Media does this, and it is profitable.  It explains why armstrong wanted to win bad enough, it explains why Beckham went to PSG, PSG to me was the best buy of the Oil Barons.  It is a medium age club without local competition in one of the biggest and most well recognized capitols in the world.  I have said it before, if PSG can win Ligue 1, and UEFA CL, and the coupe de france it will be fiscally great for them.  I think it is interesting that Saint Etienne might win the coupe de ligue, for a side that at one time was legend, it is interesting to see them with a slight rise.  Piggybacking off of the money theme, to make a huge segway.  I still think the story of the year is Anzhi, fifa talk about manc and psg but anzhi have spent big and I think their rise in russian football really makes them the chelsea of russia and the fact that Lassana Diarra who started out at St. Etienne and played for Chelsea and Real MAdrid [who I think miss him, or should] and now Anzhi is a tale true value for money, in opposition to BEckham, who like Kaka at Real, will sell many shirts for PSG but isnt realistically a player. 

Perhaps people and moreover junior people need to have idols or references they would like to seem to, although sometimes the reference it is not so perfect as he seems.  Adam Mayer Chief Marketing Officer Housing Qatar www.hosingqatar.com doha house

I don’t pretend to understand people.  I’m perfectly with having other people act as translators for this kind of stuff.  I think I’ll just stay a simple man, and try not to wonder too much about the motivation of people.  The beaches of Miami are a great way to do that too. 

I don’t really know what’s going on with Beckham, perhaps he is the good boy at football and in life, although I have my many doubts.  Adam Mayer Chief Marketing Officer Housing Qatar www.housingqatar.com Qatar rent