...Calculated moves

Little about Beckham's arrival in the U.S. has been left to chance. The only thing Beckham was guaranteed in the deal announced in January was the salary. But an AEG news release trumpeted the $250-million potential value of Beckham's contract over its five-year life.

The news release was crafted by Simon Fuller, the British marketing wizard who helped transform the Spice Girls into an international phenomenon, dreamed up "American Idol," and has represented Beckham in prior business dealings.

Media outlets worldwide ran with the $250-million figure.

"The [Beckham] roll-out has been and will continue to be extremely calculated," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. "Everyone involved is going to be trying to maximize what's in it for them. And to fully appreciate it all, you'd need nothing short of John Madden and a Telestrator."

The Galaxy opted not to introduce new home and away jerseys at the start of the season, banking on a Beckham deal getting done. So, on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated put Beckham and the new Galaxy jersey on its cover. And, on Thursday, the Sports Authority became the first retailer to sell Beckham's No. 23 jersey.

The carefully plotted introduction extends to three arranged-for-television matches that will be broadcast live in many parts of the world. Beckham's first game on July 21 will be against Chelsea, an English club, rather than an MLS team.

"The Galaxy versus the Chicago Fire might have been picked up by English TV, but this is Chelsea and David Beckham and it will be shown \o7live \f7in England," Leiweke said. Subsequent games against two Mexican teams will introduce Beckham to Latino fans in the U.S. and build bridges to futbol fans in Mexico and South America.

The full-court media press in advance of Beckham's arrival has included coverage from such publications as People Magazine and syndicated entertainment shows on television. Today's introduction has attracted media from all over the world; about 700 credentials were issued.

The media blitz is "something you are not seeing with any other current U.S. athlete, short of Tiger Woods," said Eric Wright, a vice president with Joyce Julius & Associates., which tracks sports media coverage.

For existing Galaxy and MLS sponsors, Wright said, "It was like winning the lottery."