14Nov/110
David Testo: How the MLS Star Coming out Could Impact World Football
MLS star David Testo, who was released from the North American Soccer League's Montreal Impact at the end of the season and previously played with the Vancouver Whitecaps and Columbus Crew, came out late last week to the public as a gay man in a radio interview. He said his family, friends and teammates all knew and were supportive of him. As he told Radio Canada: “I really do regret not having come out earlier. It’s something that I’ve struggled with my whole life and career. It’s hard. Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly hard. It’s like carrying around a secret. Carrying around luggage and never actually be allowed to just be yourself. It’s incredibly energy-draining on top of having to perform, on top of having to play."Does it matter if Testo's gay? Of course not, in the grand scheme of things—what matters is whether or not he can play football. So why are we bothering talking about it?This wouldn't be particularly newsworthy if it weren't for the fact that Testo was only the third openly gay male professional footballer ever, and only the second in a top-flight division, after Justin Fashanu.His predecessor's is a story most football ...27Oct/110
David Beckham: Has He Delivered What the L.A. Galaxy Paid Millions For?
It was hailed the move that would revolutionize soccer in America... again.David Beckham would be a rejuvenating force, a new Pelé, the kind of big-money foreign player that would make corporate sponsors salivate and fans turn up in droves.In 2007, David Beckham transferred to the Los Angeles Galaxy from Real Madrid, where he had also been a mega-money signing, for a reported $250 million in total potential earnings over a five-year deal, including endorsements.The hype was nearly out of control. The "next Pelé" angle was great in theory, except that David Beckham isn't Pelé, and soccer in America has grown exponentially since that much-lauded Pelé arrival.The teams have endorsements of their own, well-maintained soccer-specific grounds and legitimate, ever-growing fan-bases complete with wildly passionate ultras groups.The Galaxy, to give a great example of this, play in the $150 million soccer-specific Home Depot Center and had an average 2011 fan attendance of 23,335, a number which is increasing. They have three organized groups for the hardest-core of supporters: the Galaxians, the L.A. Riot Squad and the Angel City Brigade.Furthermore, not only have American soccer clubs been importing players from Europe and South America for a while now (Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls; Robbie Keane ...19Sep/110
David Beckham Promotes His New Cologne on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’
Last October, David Beckham went on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and joined the hostess in a hidden-camera prank where he messed with a masseuse. The duo had so much fun that they decided to try it again in an effort to promote DB Homme, Beckham's new cologne.This time, the L.A. Galaxy star dresses as an employee of American discount store Target and sprays passing customers with the cologne, badgering them with chants and encouraging them to sample the fragrance if they stink and attempting to convince shoppers he's not David Beckham; he's from Australia.He may be able to take direction on the pitch, but it looks like Becks has a little trouble faking a Texas accent and taking Ellen's hidden-mic prompts.Oh, and just wait until you hear him sing. Watch the clip here.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com1Sep/110