Admittedly, I’m a little fascinated by this story and am anxious to get to my mailbox after work and read the cover story about David Beckham’s arrival to America in this week’s Sports Illustrated. The most pressing question seems to be will Beckham’s arrival mean that Major League Soccer, which has lived in complete obscurity since its inception, will become relevant? Will people who didn’t watch MLS games before now become diehard Chicago Fire fans because Beckham’s in the league? My guess is probably not.

I guess I base all my assumptions about this story on my understanding of myself and people like me. By my own admission, I am a sports fanatic. I’ve told my friends that if I find a girl that I love half as much as I love the Philadelphia Eagles than I’d marry her on the spot. But I’m also a little more well-rounded, I’m interested in a number of things, including occasionally (like when my neurons aren’t firing) celebrity culture. I’m interested in Becks’ first game but not because I’m particularly interested in the game itself. Though not a soccer fan, I will be watching when Beckham makes his debut on July 21 in a friendly against Chelsea — but that will likely be the end of my MLS fandom. I find watching non-World Cup soccer to be a mind-numbing bore and David Beckham’s participation notwithstanding, it isn’t likely my stance will be swayed on this.

My guess is that initial interest in the league will spike dramatically when Beckham makes his debut and then will taper off. This game, especially at the level of those in the MLS, just does not have the ability to hold the attention of an American audience. Now I know what soccer lovers everywhere are going to say and that’s that soccer is one, if not the, most popular sport among young people in America but that’s because you can play when your 4 and it doesn’t require a lot of skill or athleticism. If you don’t believe me, go watch a bunch of 5-year-olds play soccer and tell me if you think that’s an athletic event.

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