David Beckham will have to become both a celebrity and a sporting icon if he is to make football the staple diet in households across the United States, according to one of America's most-watched presenters Fernando Fiore.
Beckham has been making as big an impact on entertainment news programmes as he has on sports shows in Los Angeles since his arrival in the city on July 12.
On Sunday night at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, he and wife Victoria stepped out in Hollywood at party in their honour thrown by A-list movie couples Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Holmes, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brooke Shields, Alicia Silverstone, John Hurt and Ray Winstone all made the trip down the San Diego Highway from Hollywood to the Home Depot Center to see Major League Soccer's biggest earner make his debut on Saturday against Chelsea.
But rather than being a distraction, television football anchor Fiore is convinced the England midfielder can use both worlds to help benefit the development of the game in the States.
"I think with Beckham you get the whole package. You can't separate the football player from the marketing icon. With him it's going to be the whole thing," said Fiore, who works for Spanish language network Univision, whose ratings make it the fifth-largest network in the country.
"He is already popular among football fans here but this is a person who can bring other people to the football stadium just to see what's going on.
"You may go the first time to see only Beckham but you might like the atmosphere and you might like the passion and the fans in the stadium and want to come back for those reasons.
"He will help bring the whole community, for the people who have maybe never seen a soccer game.
"It's like the World Cup, where many times people don't watch every day but will tune in when the World Cup comes. This is going to be the same.
"He'll attract so many people that some of them will become followers of soccer and fond of the sport.
"There is nothing wrong with bringing in a very elite player that is famous and probably more famous off the field than on the field. I have no problem with that."
Argentine-born Fiore is affectionately known as 'El Presidente' among the Hispanic community for his commanding on-screen presence during World Cups and other major tournaments.
He recognises there is a lot of anti-soccer feeling in the USA but believes those who continue to criticise the sport will not be able to for much longer.
"This is a country with a lot of major leagues and I'm sure no-one wants to share the pie when it is there to grab for the NFL, the NBA and baseball," he added.
"If a fan has $100 a month to spend on watching sport the NFL wants him to spend it with them going to see the (Oakland) Raiders, the baseball people on a (New York) Yankees ticket. The more sports there are, the less chance people have to spend it on your sport.
"They don't want to share the spotlight because those 27,000 people that went to see the Galaxy against Chelsea were 27,000 who didn't go to see the baseball that day.
"But at the end, you're going to look very dumb if you keep denying a sport that is the king around the world or just keep criticising, 'They don't score enough' or 'It's a tie, we love to win'.
"You can't use those excuses all your life and there will come a time when they will have to say 'This is a wonderful sport that everyone can enjoy'."
On Sunday night at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, he and wife Victoria stepped out in Hollywood at party in their honour thrown by A-list movie couples Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Holmes, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brooke Shields, Alicia Silverstone, John Hurt and Ray Winstone all made the trip down the San Diego Highway from Hollywood to the Home Depot Center to see Major League Soccer's biggest earner make his debut on Saturday against Chelsea.
But rather than being a distraction, television football anchor Fiore is convinced the England midfielder can use both worlds to help benefit the development of the game in the States.
"I think with Beckham you get the whole package. You can't separate the football player from the marketing icon. With him it's going to be the whole thing," said Fiore, who works for Spanish language network Univision, whose ratings make it the fifth-largest network in the country.
"He is already popular among football fans here but this is a person who can bring other people to the football stadium just to see what's going on.
"You may go the first time to see only Beckham but you might like the atmosphere and you might like the passion and the fans in the stadium and want to come back for those reasons.
"He will help bring the whole community, for the people who have maybe never seen a soccer game.
"It's like the World Cup, where many times people don't watch every day but will tune in when the World Cup comes. This is going to be the same.
"He'll attract so many people that some of them will become followers of soccer and fond of the sport.
"There is nothing wrong with bringing in a very elite player that is famous and probably more famous off the field than on the field. I have no problem with that."
Argentine-born Fiore is affectionately known as 'El Presidente' among the Hispanic community for his commanding on-screen presence during World Cups and other major tournaments.
He recognises there is a lot of anti-soccer feeling in the USA but believes those who continue to criticise the sport will not be able to for much longer.
"This is a country with a lot of major leagues and I'm sure no-one wants to share the pie when it is there to grab for the NFL, the NBA and baseball," he added.
"If a fan has $100 a month to spend on watching sport the NFL wants him to spend it with them going to see the (Oakland) Raiders, the baseball people on a (New York) Yankees ticket. The more sports there are, the less chance people have to spend it on your sport.
"They don't want to share the spotlight because those 27,000 people that went to see the Galaxy against Chelsea were 27,000 who didn't go to see the baseball that day.
"But at the end, you're going to look very dumb if you keep denying a sport that is the king around the world or just keep criticising, 'They don't score enough' or 'It's a tie, we love to win'.
"You can't use those excuses all your life and there will come a time when they will have to say 'This is a wonderful sport that everyone can enjoy'."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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