BulldogE60

Actually it is a big deal. True, his salary is irrevalant but he is a reflection of MLS and the team itself and should control himself.

swajames

His requirement to control himself is really no different to the fans who taunted him.

The reason it isn't big deal is that the whole thing is a storm in a teacup that is being blown out of proportion. It is an entire over-reaction - and that is entirely because of the person, not the actions.

Had this same episode been with a mid-pack player like Donovan, no one would have cared, there would have been little to no press coverage and no-one would have felt it worthy of a post here.

BulldogE60

True it was blown out of proportion because it was Beck although his gesture was not much, he still should have controlled himself and made a better decision as a professional athlete especially knowing how the media was going to react.

flyingpuck

Picking a fight with a fan in the stands is trivial? Not by today's litigious standards!

swajames

Here's the footage.


Pretty clear it was the fans (and this group was from the self-proclaimed "LA Riot Squad" who purport to be "ultra-rabid" fans) and not the player who were the real instigators here.

The lady towards the end tells it best.

As I said, it's a storm in a teacup.

pigapumbu

No its an issue because he is meant to be at the top (not mid-pack player) of his game and reacting in the manner he did is crass. Not becoming of a football ambasador. He is highly paid and he represents his club. The fans have a right to voice their dislike and in this case it was only a few folks. What Beckham has done is shown his weakness and acted like an uneducated man. Saying that, it wont be too far off either.

As will happen, if he continues in this manner, soon most of the crowd will boo him off. Already in the next match there was more. This time a fan passing a comment about beckhams wife. Shaking hands and later voicing against the fan will only further aggrevate those paying to watch the game.

Beckham taunting a fan is out of line and so respresentative of the game here. Pity he cant bring himself to be above it.

cheers

David Beckham confronts another 'disgraceful' fan... this time for bad-mouthing wife Victoria [ Linky ]

swajames

How much Beckham gets paid is between him, his employer and the free market. It's not relevant here. The simple fact is that he is as human as the rest of us and has the same frailties. It's easy to pontificate when you do not live the life that he and other professional sportsmen and women lead. The other simple truth is that most purveyors of the physical sports do not go on to become academics, brain surgeons or lawyers after their sporting career comes to a close. This is because, generally speaking, they are regular men and women, like us, who happen to have a phenomenal talent (unlike many of us). We can't hold someone to a higher standard than we may hold or expect of ourselves simply because they may make more money in a week than most of us make in a year. His reaction was that of a regular guy. More to the point, taunting a sportsman about his wife is off limits. His reaction there was understandable. Many of us here would probably have felt much the same way.

For those of us without his talents, it's much easier to pontificate and sit in judgment than it is to do what he does and to have to face the pressures he faces.