David Beckham loan? Just more bluster to enhance the brand

David Beckham lives in a place just off the coast of a little place we call planet Earth.

Truly, he’s not one of us. He lives and breathes and plays by rules most of us can’t fathom. That’s not meant to demonize the man – it’s just reality.

So we have to consider all matters David Beckham related in a wholly unique context.  Take the recent swirl of loan reports, rumors and whispers. With someone else, some mere mortal, we might conclude that there are substantive talks between parties who have a real desire to improve their clubs, to form a mutually beneficial partnership.  As Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti rightly point out this week, there are clubs for which Beckham would provide handy support at the right-sided positions. Fair enough.

But this is David Beckham, and nothing is quite this clear-cut. There is little clarity in the whirling dervish that is David Beckham’s world.

Here’s what I suspect is going on: Beckham has a vast support network that would humble a few major Hollywood headliners.  After all, his global brand stretches far and wide, and someone must also manage it and, generally speaking, feed the beast. So there’s pressure from points high and low to keep the Beckham buzz alive. Otherwise, the beast dies.

I talked to someone in a position to know out in Los Angeles recently. He theorized the same, that selective leaks have dandy value, regardless of actual chances of fruition.  If they can aggressively float the idea on the front end, it might actually lead to a loan that creates further headlines.  If not, they’ve made headlines in the meantime.

But I have a feeling that Bruce Arena is going to put the kibosh on all of this soon. Perhaps quite soon, like in the next day or so. 

As I wrote yesterday for SI.com, there is absolutely zero benefit for the Galaxy here. I won’t repeat all the reasons; there  are 1,600 words on the topic if you care to go read about it, if you aren’t already tired of the latest round of self-important branding concerns from Camp Beckham. I’m not the only one who places this high on the totem pole of terrible ideas. Soccer America’s Paul Gardner agrees, as does vet soccer writer Ives Galarcep.

Arena has no problem being the bad guy in these situations. I don’t mean that is a disparaging way. His job is to look out for the Galaxy’s interest, and I think he’s well within his rights – check that, it’s his duty – to stand up against Brand Beckham handlers and yes men and say, “No, we’re not loaning Beckham, it doesn’t do a thing for us.”

Beckham could indeed prove be wrong. He could validate the bluster and actually be training with a team in England by this time next week.

But I doubt it. Even a man who lives just off the coast of the planet Earth has to put his feet on the ground with the rest of us at some point.