Odd, really, sitting in the stands with my youngest, but I enjoyed it completely. I loved being a soccer mom, watching him play for so many years. We watch bits of an occasional game on t.v. together now. Still, I think of him as a player, not a spectator. Of course, I expect his soccer socks to reach his shorts, and am sometimes stunned to find we've all grown up, even me. Heading up the Tollway he told me the wild tale of his trip to see Lazio v AC Milan in Rome last fall. Language and transportation confusions played more prominently in the tale than sport.
On the drive to Frisco's Pizza Hut Park we also reminisced about a hot shared experience in the presence of stars--Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival at the Cotton Bowl in 2004. So what is the big deal with David Beckham? Is he a "guitar god"?
The deal with Beckham is he's part of our cultural awareness in the same way as Tiger Woods. I don't even watch much soccer on t.v. and couldn't pick out a Spice Girl in a police line-up, but Beckham's walk, posture, manner of wearing clothes, and movements are instantly recognizable to me from clear across the field. How did this recognition seep into my working memory? Not sure. At least with Tiger, I've done my time watching golf with my father. Although I can't verbalize it, I would know Tiger by the way he adjusts his shirt before a putt even if I was standing at the opposite end of an airport runway from him.
The sell-out crowd loved booing Sir David, but also cheering and photographing him. He is good for Major League Soccer. Beckham had the lead role for the LA team, but wasn't particularly effective, even though he got three tries on one corner kick. FC Dallas won 4-0. Kenny Cooper had two goals within one minute of play. The Dallas goalie, Dario Sala, had eight saves. You can look it up, as James Thurber would say.
© 2008 Nancy L. Ruder
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