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Will a hunky Brit hook L.A. Latinos?

16:07 H | Topics: Culture - Los Angeles - Marketing - Sports

David Beckham: the one soccer player that people who know nothing about soccer can identify. His model good looks and requisite skanky wife have made him more like a Hollywood star than a sports star, and perhaps that's why his new bazillion-dollar gig is for L.A.'s futbol team, the Galaxy.

While we know that soccer isn't the biggest sport in mainstream America -- far from it -- is still much appreciated by Latinos in this country, who shell out big bucks to see Mexican and other Latin American and Spanish teams play stateside. AP reports today on how Latino fans in L.A. are reacting to the multi-million dollar player's export from Madrid to Los Angeles:

Whether David Beckham's American adventure proves a financial boon or multimillion-dollar blunder for Major League Soccer could depend on how well Beckham wins over fans such as Rodrigo Diaz...

"I'll go to one or two games to see how Beckham is playing," the 32-year-old Diaz said while buying a knee brace at Niky's, a soccer store in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. "If I see he's not into it, I'm not spending any more money."

Of all soccer giants from Spanish leagues that Latinos here might be able to identify with, I think Beckham would be the last. The Galaxy's manager, however, thinks otherwise:

Lalas said Beckham speaks some Spanish after playing several years for Spain's Real Madrid, but wasn't sure whether he'd use it in commercials or team promotions. Galaxy news releases are in English and Spanish, and the team soon will launch a Spanish version of its Web site.

"David Beckham on the surface couldn't be more disassociated with the Hispanic community," said Lalas, referring to the Hollywood glitz he brings with his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. "But the fact is this is a player who has played with some of the biggest teams in the world, including Real Madrid."

Hmmph. After three years in Spain, Beckham basically knows how to say "hola" and "sí", and the latter has gotten him trouble in the past.

But marketing can do anything. Don't be surprised if you turn on Univisión one of these days and see Becks eating tacos al pastor and kicking around a ball in a park in East Los.

Via / Yahoo! Entertainment

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