Column: Beckham can't make soccer huge all by himself

New Albany Tribune - IN, USA - I paid close attention as David Beckham was officially blended into the American sports mainstream with the subtlety of a bullfight gone awry.

One of my nephews, 15 years old and a soccer goalkeeper himself, convinced me to stash away my ho-hum stance on his favorite sport and observe with an open mind.

So I watched recently Beckham’s debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy. And I watched. And I watched some more.

To his dismay, I only demonstrated something resembling a pulse when the easy-on-the-eyes Bonnie Bernstein grabbed air time by conducting an interview.

Then it was back to soccer and me slumping deeper into the sofa cushions because of heavier eyelids.

In fairness to Beckham and to the sport of soccer itself, the 32-year-old English soccer sensation was nursing a sore left ankle and played sparingly.

Therefore, I should reserve final judgment on whether Beckham’s presence alone significantly spikes America’s interest in soccer until the conclusion of the 2007 Major League Soccer season.

I should, but I won’t.

Soccer may or may not have surpassed tennis and Arena Football in popularity in this country, and the National Hockey League remains vulnerable in terms of viewership. Even professional golf could take a hit in, oh, 2028 after Tiger Woods cashes his final six-digit winner’s check.

As for everything else, forget it.