David Beckham Does Not Disappoint Me

“I’m not disappointed. It doesn’t affect me…you can’t be liked by everyone.” David Beckham

Why do people love to hate? That was my first thought this morning as I read about David Beckham’s return to the Galaxy and their friendly against AC Milan this weekend (which ended in a 2-2 draw)…during Beckham’s big come-back, he was booed and confronted with asinine banners such as: ‘Go home fraud,’ ‘23: Repent,’ and ‘Is evil something u are…or something u do’…

I don’t have a problem with David Beckham for the simple reason that he is an institution. He is sold, marketed and packed to perfection is his skivvies as a product. He did what he was supposed to do-infuse life into US Soccer. That was his job-not to bend it as he did in his youth, but to use his marketability to sell the sport. I don’t give a hoot if Landon Donovan is pissed at Becks…I don’t care that Beckham missed half of the MLS season due to a five-month frolic with the Italians. He’s never been quiet about the fact that he’d prefer to kick it with AC Milan because the level of play IS better in Europe. So why is everyone hating on a guy who accepted mad amounts of cash to lend his Image to soccer? Didn’t we give him a hero’s welcome upon signing with the Galaxy? And now he’s gotta endure the wrath of fans who feel disappointed? What it boils down to for me, is how athletes act off the field and how they react to unruly fans. They can shoot and kill them like Columbian soccer player Javier Florez did, or they can react with class and dignity ala Beckham…

During halftime, Beckham confronted a fan that had been running his mouth about god-knows-what and apparently ‘crossed the line’…Beck’s motioned for said-asshole to come closer…the guy jumped down from the seats and was promptly arrested…but not before Beckham had words with him. “I said, `You need to calm down and come shake my hand.”

In this day and age of blind hero worship, I only ask that ‘fans’ take a look at the bigger picture. Is it really that much fun to make banners-of-hate and get psyched-up for the game because you get to flaunt your hatred towards someone you feel let you down? Was there anybody-even ONE person in the entire stadium thinking about how many nets Beckham has sold to save lives? Wouldn’t time be better spent making a massive Malaria No More banner thanking Beckham for his involvement with that campaign? And has everyone forgotten that Beckham taught soccer to children in Harlem or that in 2007 Beckham surprised a young girl dying of cancer with a phone call and signed jersey before she died 12 days later? I haven’t forgotten.

Beckham can best be summed up by his actions over the weekend. The impulse to shake an angry fans hand speaks volumes to the mans character, and for me, despite the enormous amount of weight placed on Beckham’s shoulders, he’s proven himself a gentlemen on and off the pitch. So please people, take your hatred elsewhere.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com