|
“贝克汉姆热”席卷洛杉矶 Beckham-mania takes root in California, and beyond David Beckham has alreadymade a significant splashsince arriving in the America's entertainment capital, despite being restricted to a 12-minute debut for his new team because of a lingering ankle injury. The 32-year-old, one of the most recognizable figures in the game, has triggered unprecedented fan interest at Los Angeles Galaxy. The England midfielder lit up the Home Depot Center on Saturday when he finally came on as a substitute for the Galaxy in anexhibition matchagainst Chelsea. Although Beckham was on the field for only 12 minutes, plus four minutes of stoppage time, every move he made sparked an eruption of cheers from the capacity crowd of 27,000. The match attracted a record television audience for a match involving a Major League Soccer team on ESPN of around 1.47 million. Roughly one percent of homes with ESPN tuned in to watch the action. One of soccer's most marketable players during his time with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham has already made his number 23 Galaxy shirt the biggest seller. More than 200,000 replica shirts were snapped up by fans last week as Beckham-mania took root in Southern California and beyond. "We have never come across anything like it," Chris McGuire, sports marketing manager for adidas soccer, said in a statement. | 
