The Sun Never Sets on Soccer Madness
Soccer star David Beckham’s grip on the hearts of those in the United Kingdom seems to be getting out of hand.
The authors of a study titled “One David Beckham: Celebrity, Masculinity and the Soccerati” call the Manchester United midfielder and England national team captain the most influential man in the country.
Andrew Parker of Warwick University and Ellis Cashmore of Staffordshire University describe Beckham as “emerging master, global phenomenon, chosen one, sporting messiah, corporate and commercial standard bearer. Calm, considered, slight yet strong, tattooed for the cause, quintessential sporting icon.”
Tattooed for the cause?
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Add Beckham: The study claims that the player has transformed men’s attitudes toward fashion, fatherhood and homosexuality while remaining faithful to his traditional masculine, working-class roots.
“We would argue that Beckham’s complex and contradictory identity suggests that there is room for more than one version of masculine construction within the context of English professional soccer,” the study says.
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Trivia time: Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal are listed as starters for today’s NBA All-Star game. What else do they have in common?
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Not like Mike: Something he said recently that you would not have heard from Michael Jordan -- who is not listed as a starter for today’s All-Star game -- in his prime:
“It doesn’t matter if you play or you don’t play. It’s truly an honor just to be selected on the team. That’s the way I accept it. I don’t go in there thinking any less than the other 13 times I’ve been there.”
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Straight shooter: New Jersey Net guard Jason Kidd, an avid golfer, said he once considered trying to work his way onto the senior PGA Tour after he retired from basketball.
“[But] I started calculating that Phil and Tiger will probably be there about the same time,” he said. “So I guess I’m going to have to find a different tour.”
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods can breathe easier.
It’ll never fly: Writes Lydia Hinshaw of the Daytona Beach News-Journal: “The PGA is pretty excited about having Annika Sorenstam play in one of its events.
“Maybe Sorenstam ought to make a deal -- in return for her appearance, Tiger Woods should play in an LPGA tournament. Since everything Woods does attracts fans, sponsors and television networks, he’s just what the LPGA needs.”
Bluer pastures: With no victories in six years, David Frost hasn’t made a splash on the PGA Tour lately, but he made a big one recently in Cabo San Lucas. The South African golfer reeled in three striped marlin in one day -- far better than par for the course -- while fishing off the resort city at Baja California’s tip.
Trivia answer: All four jumped directly from high school to the pros.
And finally: The Texas Rangers’ Juan Gonzalez has settled the details of his fourth divorce, which Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News calls significant, “because it seems like every time he finalizes a divorce, he comes back with a monster year.”
