European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse July stars and stripes Page 33 Beckham is Likely to sell better than soccer in the English have been gaga Over him for for reasons not yet fully understood on this Side of the the Short version is that David along with being the master of Many hair has a special Talent for kick ing a stationary soccer Ball just where he wants that big stuff in a country that has about As Many sports heroes As there Are sunny Days at it might not cause much of a Buzz among the Beautiful peo ple of most of whom think showing a yellow card is something their maid must do if she wants to work for but the Beautiful people Are nothing if not especially when it comes to their who would have thought just a few months ago that they would have cared so much about what happened to poor Paris Hilton you will soon find is nothing if not a Beautiful per Hes got a Beautiful head of a Beautiful and a Beautiful million Home in Beverly among his neighbors Are his Beautiful Best Tom and Hes also got a beaut of a con tract and endorsements that will pay him untold millions to play for the los Angeles a minor league soccer team of sorts that plays in a league that is Tim Dahlberg major in name Beckham begins earn ing that con tract on Fri Day when he makes an appearance at the Galaxy Home and the perfect Media storm begins to a few Days his wife trip to America will get More primetime television cover age than the beatles did when they first came if you thought rods wife craved just wait until Abc airs the hour Long special Victoria Beckham coming to the chronicle of a Rich and famous wife who gives up her Rich and famous life in London to live a Rich and famous life in Bev Erly the former and future posh spice will be shown doing things most soccer moms like developing her signature line of sunglasses and per but that merely the begin on july esp will wave the pompoms for three hours cheer ing Beckham arrival in a show that will include everything except a concert by the spice Adidas will run constant commercials featuring Beckham and Reg Gie and Motorola will pay him millions to sell whose willingness to fall for hype has never been will undoubtedly be entranced by it and then Beckham will actually play a soccer moms will and gather the kids around the have plenty of angles to look at since esp is using 19 cameras for the exhibition match against including one that will be trained on the master himself the entire if All goes someone might score a if things really go Beckham will score a everyone will race out to buy season and set their Tivo for a season pass of major league or sports and celebrity May seem like a great but soccer and americans just weve seen it albeit on a smaller when Pele came to the United states in the 1970s to make soccer As popular As the Ford it didst work and it didst work in 1999 when the Brandi Chastain and the National team were hailed As Sav ions of the game Only to see their attempt at a professional league Flop speaking of has anyone seen the millions of Little girls who were supposed to be convert Max David photographed in the Honda formula one team motor Home before the British grand prix at on will continue to get plenty of Media attention when he arrives in the to play for the los Angeles despite Beckham worldwide he is unlikely to make soccer More popular in the de into soccer fans by that world cup win recently there mostly grown women by so they be hard to and How about the tens of Mil Lions of boys and girls who played soccer growing up if there like most kids i they gave it up just As quickly As they could for other sports once their parents gave them a Beckham int going to change no matter How much Adidas and Motorola Ameri cans May be fascinated by Beautiful but for the most part there bored by a game where one goal is cause for Celebration and is often played so defensively that even open shots Are a people will tune in at first be cause there and be cause Beckham will be marketed As much As the they might even buy a few tickets to get a glimpse of his hair or to see if he can really Bend it like they but will they be on hand to watch the Colorado rapids play to a 00 tie with the Columbus Crew but dont bet on in the there still Likely to find soccer about As enticing As the newest spice girls Tim Dahlberg is a National sports Colum nist for the associated write to him . Nastars France Steps out of fathers Shadow Daytona Brian France walked through the Fanzone at Daytona International Speedway without handlers or the Lascar chairman seemed like just another face in the few recognized the sports most influential who was Back at the track after a month away following the june 4 death of his former chairman Bill France France hardly eased into his re he charged spending much of last week making it very Clear this is his sport he defended Nastars Strong new stance against he voiced his disapproval of suspended Crew chiefs coming to the track during their his top Competition officials the ones who told Crew chiefs they could be on the grounds As Long As they we rent in the garage were sent scrambling to close we went to the proper people and asked them what the rules were and what they wanted us to said Tony Eury who at tended five of six races during his i just dont think he to be Brian didst know what they were theres always been a percept inthe by Jenna Tion that France spent his first three years As chairman ruling from thus creating a Dis connect from the Day today Deci Sions of the family that he was ostensibly unaware of what was going on May have proved that has some times been the but once France saw the Crew chiefs flaunt ing their attack he quickly corrected his oversight by cracking then he worked the garage at saturday nights Pepsi first joining sprint chairman Tim Kelly at a news conference to announce a name change to Nastars top then introducing Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani to the in France was firmly out finally free from the Shadow of his late France was Tough to and every decision his son made was most certainly it made for awkward moments from his seat in the Bill grabbed a microphone to interrupt brians presentation during a 2003 news conference and John Lascar chairman and ceo Brian France makes his Way through the garage area saturday before the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona probably hindered brians Transi Tion into the top now Able to Rule without re France is Clear to continue his quest to make Lascar More corporate than Sim ply he wants the sport on the same playing Field with the other major league this makeover requires France to trample on and that comes with the risk of alienating Nastars longtime but in taking off the restrict Tor plate and shaking things France has the Opportunity to raise his status and put himself in the same league As some of the top leaders in professional after his emphasis on clean ing up the sport by stomping out its culture of cheating is no differ ent from whats going on in every other professional David Stern put his stamp on the Aba by trying to clean up its thug image through a dress code and rules aimed at curbing fight Bud Selig is cracking Down on cheating in baseball with a stringent steroid and Roger Goodell has clamped Down on the nil with a discipline edict that has made character nearly As important As France wants the same for and at a time when sponsors Are hard to come by net trying to create the perfect corporate but this Zero tolerance policy is harsh eight teams have faced heavy sanctions this and nine people have been suspended for cheating and not everyone likes that of with who has the Power to make this a very new he credits his Grandfather and father for build ing the but knows its scope is so much bigger and the stakes Are so much its Why he pushed to move races from traditional Southern markets and into Phoe Kansas City and and he pulled the trigger on the Chase for the the manufactured 10race tide when the first three years of the Chase didst satisfy he didst hesitate to tinker with the format and expand the he brought on a new series sponsor and a new fuel provider and is willing to sever ties with longtime regional France has also been at the Helm during the introduction of the car of which is designed to Cut improve safety and Foster better some of his ideas Are and some fans have soured on this new Lascar but what France has done is on die oame plane As when Selig introduced the wild card and inter league play to the moves were decried at the but few would argue base Ball int better for time will Tell if France can do the
