I can't beleive what I'm reading. Do you really believe that? Do you know how much he is really making? Have you seen his pay check? Come on dudes! If you believe this then you will believe anything! MLS may not have but AEG did and they are also profiting even more from that move. Now they've even formed a partnership with a club in Australia and they are not making anything out of this? Beckham makes more or just as much than any other athlete in the USA. This is why I don't believe the MLS was almost going broke. I don't care what anyone says but there is no way any business in the world would be able to spend millions and millions of dollars on stadia and risk their wealth if they were about to go bankrupt or broke! No way it will not happen! It make absolutely no sense and I can't find the connection from going broke to spending millions on stadia and what have you within the span of 1-2 years.
well since you apparently you have seen his paycheck, you can enlighten us. the $250 million was the estimated value of what his sponsorships would be worth. he was given more profit from the sale of merchandise with his name on it. that's not exactly taking a risk. Beckham paid for himself and more in, what, a couple of mouths. i forget. yes, it was a smart investment that helped not only the Evil Overlord Anschutz but the rest of the league. problem? Beckham makes approximately $29,700,000/year according to this SI article. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2007/index.20.html i'm thinking that he makes $5-7 million on salary. i forget where that article was. seven people on this are now higher than him. (A-Rod just signed a new deal putting him over the top.) http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2007/index.html and most of Beckham's salary is from endorsements, unlike A-Rod, Kevin Garnett, and many more. there's been numerous times that i've heard of people who have one restaurant or store that are losing money that will open another restaurant or store. then they magically start making money. it gives the impression that the business is great. you could be right with your thinking, but many times investors do a thing called "taking risks" when they think something will work.
Therefore, risking or not where is the proof they were about to fold and when exactly was that? If it was around 9/11 when most businesses were folding left and right, I doubt they would have wanted to take the plunge on this league. The bottom line is they were not going to fold as they were committed. I do not believe for one minute they were about to fold. No I haven't seen his paycheck but I know for a fact he is not making 5 million a year and he would not have come here from Real Madrid if he was. There is quite a bit of difference between $5 & $30 million in salary and I don't care where he is getting the money he is getting it becuase of AEG and becuase he came to this country.
you claimed that AEG/MLS spent $250 million on a 32 year-old midfielder. a couple of us are just telling you that they didn't. they spent probably $30 million over 5 years. money that was recouped in a few months.
I hope for the future of the league that they are not losing money becuase if they were I doubt they would continue. We all know however, Becks salary is more of an excuse but who really cares about his MLS contract anyway? He isn't here becuase of a $5 million a year contract. As far as seeing Becks paycheck, no I haven't seen his paycheck but as you can attest to by the link there is a bit of difference betweeen 5 & 30 million a year (regardless of if the league or whomever is paying it) and he wouldn't have ever made that staying in Europe. We all know he is not relying or even worrying about his MLS salary and that is just a measley excuse for what Becks is really making. The only reason he is making that amount of money is becuase he is in working in LA/Hollywood. Also, we aren't talking about mom and pop restaurants taking risks here we are talking about a multimillion dollar sports league where there are billionaires involved. Where is the proof they were about to fold and when exactly was that? If it was around 9/11/01 when most businesses were folding left and right (before and after the attacks), I seriously doubt however, they would have wanted to take the plunge into this league at that time especially if they were about or even ever thinking of folding. The bottom line is they were not going to or about to fold as they were committed and AEG anyway, saw a window of oportunity to make more money. I do not believe for one minute they were about to fold. I've worked for these types od people and handled all of their books and they all love to bounce off of every excuse and let everyone think and they are losing money while in rality they are making fortunes. Again I attribute the reason the league did not fold was mostly becuase of the restructuring and lack of losses to better business plans, new SSS, low paying salaries and not signing overage overpriced foreigners not to mention the SUM marketing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_United_Marketing which was supposedly invented to offset clubs lossess.....
I'm not quite sure, but I think you're saying that you agree with my point that your statement that MLS was paying Beckham $250 million was incorrect. I just wanted to clear that up.
Quake fans had to learn the hard way the motives & dealings of the axis of evil group. They tell everybody what to do. MLS works for AEG. its easy to sit out in middle america & debate. But to know the things the Quakes know you had to be there.
No actually I understood exactly what you meant but Becks MLS salary is just a small portion of what he really makes. Still in comparison to the rest of the league, especially since the league kept preaching to be a single entity structure where all the competition was to be on the field and not in the front office and to not have another NASL and /or Cosmos, I just think he is way too overpriced! Whether they've already made their return on their investment, is another story, however other clubs play didn't really benefit or improve (on the pitch anyway) from his services other than drawing well while hosting Galaxy games. He did raise awareness of games, so that was a positive thing, I guess. For the amount of money they (or whomever it was that) paid him however, they could have bought at least 10 different better and younger players which would have been dispersed throughout the league and helped other clubs also. As far as Quakes fans getting the shaft by AEG, we most certainly do know what they've done to us and from what the former people in the Quakes front office told me, "they should be ashamed of themselves". Again in a single entity league when everyone preached everything and everyone was to have been even from the outset, their tactics have been not only sleezy but crooked at best. To say "they have saved the league from folding (which I still don't believe) so they can (better their flagship club) and do whatever they want to", sounds like such a lame cop out that is not even funny. I mean if that is the case the NFL should let the Chicago Bears do whatever they want to becuase George "Papa" Bear Halas invented the league but the NFL owners would never pull or get away with those types of things. Actually, I didn't see what happened with KC, the Crew or Dallas but Lamar Hunt hasn't even tried to pull these types of things. As matter of fact, he was determined to making it work in Columbus by getting the SSS passed and built even after it was voted down in an earlier election. I read so much about former Juventus GM Luciano Moggi and about the calciopoli scandal in Italy and how he supposedly tampered with referees trying to punish them for making mistakes, but then what do you call AEG's contstant rule changes , orchestrated player placements not only with LAndy and the relocation of San Jose but with other dispicable tactics that have taken place in the MLS?
No? Well, I think you are agreeing with me because you go on to admit that his " MLS salary is just a small portion of what he really makes." So I think we agree that AEG/MLS is paying closer to $25 - $30 million over 5 years. Now this statement is one I agree with, at least as far as quality of play is concerned. For the extra money being paid to DP's, I agree that overall quality could be improved by spreading the wealth thinner for more players. However, this ignores the economic argument. As fans, of course, the economics are not our problem, so I (and you) favor better teams, not better income for MLS.
Of course I know AEG isn't going to be paying that but I again reiterate, he isn't here becuase of his MLS salary. The 30 million however, by MLS standards is still quite a lot of money which I'm sure could buy a lot of high quality 1st division players (at a younger age) from all around the world who would love to come here. I'd rather see better quality of play dispersed around the league and on the field of play instead of in one team. I loved the NY Cosmos and the NASL and they were all heroes to me while I was growing up watching their skill level and it was great. However, the initial point of the MLS was to have all the competition be on the field and not in the front office. The idea was initially anyway, to not emulate another NASL/Cosmos fiasco. This however, thru AEG's actons and/or dealings has been proven that they've done the complete opposite from the initial MLS teachings and have made similar NASL like moves and we unfortunately all close our eyes and bow down to them becuase they supposedly, "saved the league" , which I've still yet seen proof of. Don't get me wrong as I'd love to see another NASL. However, I just think we should have a more of a fair and even league this time around and not have another Cosmos all star team. In 2007-2008 or rather in this day and age of being politically correct and how we are all supposed to obey and follow the rules, why are they allowed to keep getting away with it? Now I read that AEG will be signing Luis Figo also? https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638944