US Soccer Federation chief Sunil Gulati says the impending arrival of David
Beckham to Major League Soccer has given the sport a huge boost in the United
States but the jury is out on any long-term effect.
"The worldwide
interest in Beckham is extraordinary, to the extent that that focuses attention
on the league ... so far it has been phenomenal," Gulati told Reuters in an
interview on Tuesday.
Beckham will be introduced as a member of the Los
Angeles Galaxy on Friday, yet the Briton has already created a massive buzz
after signing for an annual base salary of $5.5 million in a deal that could
earn him $250 million over five years.
"The hope is that with all the
media attention, fan attention, television interest, sponsors, that you can
sustain some of that and allow soccer to be on a higher level," Gulati
said.
Gulati said it was already clear Beckham would give the game an
adrenaline jolt akin to the 1970s US
arrival of Brazilian star Pele, who joined the New York Cosmos of the now
defunct North American Soccer League.
"Is Beckham going to be Pele or is
Beckham going to be (Magic) Johnson and (Larry) Bird," Gulati pondered. "The
analogy being that Johnson and Bird took (NBA) basketball to another
level.
"Pele took us up but we couldn't sustain it. Sustaining the higher
level, that's the big issue. It's not inevitable."
Gulati said that he
had been confident Beckham, who starred for Manchester United before playing the
last four seasons with Real Madrid, would deliver the goods between the
lines.
"He is not going to be a bust. He's too good of a player, too much
of a professional," he said.
"One hopes that David Beckham, by raising
the awareness and interest in the game, will have that continuing effect.
Clearly if there is one player in the world that can give you that boost, he is
it."
Gulati said Beckham's influence can have a greater impact than
development of a US star such as Freddy Adu, who after disappointing results
despite early hype, has been leading the US team to success in the Under-20
World Cup.
"David Beckham is more than about soccer. He's an icon in a
country of soccer icons," the US federation president said.
"Comparing
him to a home-grown star that would have to be a Tiger Woods level, that's the
level we're talking about, a Michael Jordan level.
"That would be
fantastic, if you can find an African-American, good looking guy who marries a
Spice Girl, we're all set - that can also play, by the way.
"He's beyond
all of that."
(China Daily 07/12/2007 page 23)
Vocabulary:
akin to：相似的
Questions:
1. What soccer star came to the United States from Brazil in the 1970's?
2. What two European teams did Beckham play for before coming to the USA?
3. Who were the two homegrown stars that the article compares Beckham
to?
Answers:
1. Pele.
2.
Manchester United, Real Madrid.
3. Tiger Woods, Michael
Jordan.
（英語點津 Linda 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Chase Warrington is a senior majoring in Risk Management and
Insurance, with a minor in International Business at Appalachian State
University in Boone, NC. He finds himself at China Daily Website after traveling
though China as a Holland Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program
with Fudan University.
Chase Warrington is a senior majoring in Risk Management and
Insurance, with a minor in International Business at Appalachian State
University in Boone, NC. He finds himself at China Daily Website after traveling
though China as a Holland Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program
with Fudan University. 
