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This appeared a few weeks ago in The Week.... I forgot to post it! Sorry!!
Better than the
original David…
Sigh! The era is officially over. And
football’s Adonis has walked off the field and into the sunset after shedding
tears in public yet again! Oh David! Football will never be the same again! At
least not for millions of swooning female fans who pretended to be interested
in watching a bunch of sweaty, hunky men
kicking a defenseless ball around, only to ogle Mr. Perfection - David Beckham.
Nobody will ever be able to either bend it like him or end it like him. Beckham
became so much more than an ace sportsman during the course of his 20 year
career. By the time he made that sensible decision to retire, he was already a mega legend and
perhaps the most recognized living sportsman in history. It no longer mattered
whether his footwork was shaky or
faulty. At least for his women admirers, Beckham’s magic extended well beyond
his on- field achievements. Beckham had become the personification of the
idealized man – a startlingly good looking one at that. Seen as a loving and
loyal husband ( let’s make an allowance for the odd Roos chapter) , a hands on
devoted dad, Beckham lived the much
envied life of an enormously successful athlete, adored globally and worshiped
by advertisers who fell over backwards to sign him up for the juiciest
endorsement deals going. And this enduring love affair with Beckham continued
years after younger, hotter and better footballers came into the picture. So,
what was it about Brand Beckham that captured so many hearts – male and female?
I can only make a case for him as a woman.
There is something heartbreakingly vulnerable about the man. Given the unapologetically
macho posturing and positioning of his chosen
game, Beckham’s off-duty persona projected an entirely different image. He was
comfortingly androgynous without ever appearing wimpy. He looked perfectly in
tune with his feminine side, minus any self consciousness or strain. As a
father of four, Beckham’s admirable commitment to his family life added a lot
to his aura. When his posh wife Victoria talked about David dropping off the
kids to school every morning, we believed her. He just looked like that sort of
a father. Pictures of the couple cuddling Harper, their new born daughter, were
so incredibly, heart warming, that young mums across the world must have fought
with their husbands for not being as involved as David. The actual grouse being
entirely different, of course (“Why the hell aren’t you as gorgeous…?”).
David Beckham became the most objectified
poster boy of sports twenty years ago. And women in droves lusted after him.
Yet, it was guilt-free lusting, because Beckham never pandered to the playboy
image of football players. It’s impossible that he was not aware of his
powerful hold over fans’ collective fantasy. But unlike some of the other sex
symbols in the business ( Christian Ronaldo comes to mind), Beckham retained
his dignity, even while posing in suggestive underwear that caused traffic jams
in cities across the world. This lovely
and very disarming quality, will remain with him, even as he repositions his brand
and confronts new realities, post-retirement. Chances are he will seamlessly
shift into other high profile roles , possibly as a goodwill ambassador. If he
does do that, he will win still more admirers and continue to generate positive
press coverage. Beckham’s biggest strength has been his extraordinary ability
to stay ordinary. Given his wealth and fame, this is an attribute that has
disarmed his worst critics. Today, Beckham is indeed in a league of his own. Most
of our cricketers would do well to take a leaf out of his book. God knows some
of our high flying boys are in desperate need of a reality check (given the
recent IPL spot fixing scandal). Beckham is much bigger than any of them . Why, he is even bigger than the game he
excelled in during his prime. His greatness was not in the number of goals he
scored. It was in the humility that he consistently displayed. Testosterone and
modesty don’t always go together. But boy! When they do – you get a David
Beckham. What a babe! Even Michelangelo couldn’t have found a better model to
immortalize.
1 comment:
Being an absolute fan of The Game, I have admired Beckham for totally different reasons and wondered around the craze and the debates and what not. Reading this blog gives me some perspective.
There are however somethings not true. Beckham will never be bigger than the game, no sir.
I do agree with you on the fact that he has stayed ordinary - let me just point out one thing he said during an interview at Google Hangout. He said that he would play football even if he were not paid for it, that is how much he loves the game. This quality is understood easily by any football lover, and perhaps it is this same quality which to you translates as seeing Beckham keeping his real quality.
I do not like it when people denounce Christiano Ronaldo just because he craves a bit for publicity and attention. Last to last season he scored the maximum goals for Real Madrid but Madrid lost the league to Barcelona. He realized this and in the last season he contributed more to the team and the team won the league. He was man of the match in literally every match when you read the match report. He was once a poor boy and has come a long way, and although I don't like comparing players but he is a much, much better player than Beckham, and to a fan of The Game, that is all that matters. Rest is all loose talk.
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