In his typically slick, year-end review of sports on HBO, Bob Costas runs a segment on significant sports figures who died 2005. And there, together with such notables as Dick Weber and Chris Schenkel (sp?), is none other than George Best. I don't follow Costas' programs enough to know whether or not he's a soccer fan. But it's got to be a good indicator of burgeoning interest in soccer in America that he included Best among those recognized. You may argue that Best is an atypical case; but it's not like he was someone whose existence had penetrated the consciousness of American sports fans, like Pele or Mardona. It's hard to imagine something similar happening as recently as 5 years ago. It may not be much, but every little bit helps. perc
I think Best's life would be one of the easier ones to explain in the U.S. "The Fifth Beatle," his natural ability, a life of excess, etc. You could sum him up as a pop culture icon from days gone by - as could you a debonair skier or a long-haired track runner. Still, I agree: you never know what's on the radar of people in the media. You expect they'll want to talk about colorful lives, but often they have no idea of anything outside their view and just naturally pass things over.