Bump.
At the days of Pele the "celebrity" phenomenon did not existed. Dan D summed it up. Pele couldn't have done any of that. Beckham can, he also has a "celebrity" wife to help add more fuel to the fire.
But why this obsession with the spotlight? If you guys like the spotlight so much then why are you complaining about celebs? If you don't like the spotlight then there's no reason to complain that soccer isn't going to become the #1 national sport.
Nobody gives a crap about flag-football. Half of you probably never heard of it. Yet, my cousin couldn't be happier because he is managing to make a living out of it. Not only that. All the adults and kids are happy aswell to play it. So while you all moan and whine there's a bunch of people having fun and moving the economy with the smaller sports. Some of them have managed to find their vocation in them. Some are having the time of their lives. They'll never be famous, they'll never be worth hundreds of millions. Who cares? Is it all about the money or about the time?
No, Beckham won't bring soccer to the top 3 sports in America, again, why the obsession?! Is it all only worth it if he makes it so? How can you even conceive that anything could take the place of NASCAR?
If Beckham increases soccer even by a little bit, it will already be enough to make alot of people happier.