Kicked around
British icon seen as angling for knighthood
Soccer icon David Beckham’s reputation takes a big hit in leaked email scandal,
David Beckham became one of the world’s most famous sports figures thanks to a combination of looks, talent, circumstance, marriage — and the accompanying glut of media attention that those things brought.
Over the past week, however, the English soccer icon’s popularity has taken a monumental hit after the release of a damning collection of alleged personal emails between him and his longtime public relations assistant.
Beckham, 41, retired in 2013 but has remained in the spotlight, modeling for fashion companies, endorsing high-end products around the world, dabbling in the acquisition of a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami and plowing his time into charitable causes with UNICEF.
It all kept him relevant and beloved, especially in his homeland. Brits saw him as a stand-up guy and seemingly the perfect antithesis of the spoiled, money-hungry soccer player. Until last week. That was when Football Leaks, soccer’s version of the secretspilling WikiLeaks, released a series of emails allegedly involving Beckham, many exchanged between the star and his PR man and friend Simon Oliveira.
They were not flattering. The messages included a rant in which Beckham complained of being snubbed in Britain’s New Year’s Honours list instead of being “knighted” and given the title “Sir David.”
In another alleged email from Beckham, he asks UNICEF to pay him more than $7,000 for a business class flight to a charity event in Asia, even though he was already catching a ride with one of his sponsors.
Among other details in the emails in question, it is suggested that Beckham publicly backed the “Remain” campaign in last year’s Brexit vote in which the United Kingdom split with the European Union in order to curry favor with the establishment.
A further claim is that Oliveira asked popular British chat show host Jonathan Ross to raise the prospect of Beckham being knighted during Beckham’s appearance on Ross’ program. “David is up for it,” Oliveira is said to have written.
Attempting to sway the honours committee, which works on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, is highly frowned upon in Britain, and the whole saga has left both the public and some of Beckham’s millions of fans around the world wondering what to think.
No brand as powerful as his is built and cultivated without hard work, yet there always seemed to be a natural ease about Beckham, a genuine feel about his workingclass upbringing before his talent brought him soccer fame and a marriage to former Spice Girl Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams.
Perhaps the most telling part has been the response, which is either a master class in crisis management or a dirty second chapter to a sorry scenario. Immediately, Beckham’s publicity machine whirred into action.
Mitigating stories have begun to spring up in the English news media. The emails were doctored, it was claimed, though no details have been provided. Oliveira did not respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.
There was a blackmail plot against Oliveira’s company, several other stories have claimed. The emails, apparently, were taken out of context. He didn’t even care if he got a knighthood, reported another publication. UNICEF put out a news release defending Beckham. And so on.
It is a typical approach. Respond quickly and loudly and, in some cases, with threats of legal action against your accuser. It is intended to have the effect of muddying the waters, throwing enough doubt on the accusations that people don’t know what to believe. Alternative facts, if you like. Or, if not, then certainly an alternative narrative.
In Beckham’s case, it is not a new thing. The former midfielder is pleasant company and an engaging man with an agreeable personality and an underrated sense of humor.
But whether through his design or that of others, significant parts of his life and career have been cloaked in spin. When he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, a move that was supposed to revolutionize American soccer, a news release was concocted claiming the deal was worth $250 million over five years. The biggest contract in soccer history!
Except that it wasn’t. MLS and Galaxy officials later said the trumped-up figure was insisted upon by Beckham’s then-management company. His salary, over five years, was actually a touch over $30 million, with some add-ons included.
However, the $250 million figure stuck, and still often gets quoted in reference to his time in America.
When Beckham engineered a temporary loan to Italian club AC Milan in 2008, it incited the frustration of Galaxy fans who had barely seen him in any meaningful action because of injuries. At the time, Oliveira angrily called up reporters who dared to suggest the move was in poor taste given that he had produced so little for L.A.
People are a whole lot more skeptical now. It is a new time for Beckham, and the old rules might not work anymore. The days of his every move being taken at face value are over. Now every social media message, even those with his children over the last few years, will be scrutinized to see if it is part of some hidden agenda.
The PR effort aimed at remedying the email situation has caused some confusion but hasn’t repaired Beckham’s reputation, just created more doubt.
There is only one thing that everyone seems to agree on coming out of this. Whether he wants one or not, Beckham won’t be getting a knighthood now.