Wend it like Beckham

If David Beckham had headed for the US to play with LA Galaxy even five years ago, chances are he would have been known as Posh Spice8217;s husband. Now, thanks to the assertive pastimes of Hispanic immigrants and the film circuit success of a film by a British filmmaker of Indian origin, plenty of Americans 8212; especially in the sunshine state 8212; will know how he can bend it. Neither can they, even those with 8220;American football8221; loyalties, fail to ignore the fact that, with the LA contract, Beckham is now the highest paid sportsman in their country. So, enjoy the conquest across the Atlantic, Mr Beckham. Globalisation, it is being argued, is adequately understood through the football story, and you are making the right trans-continental decisions to remain the most alluring mascot of that process.

Beckham, however, is interesting for reasons more complex than the tendency of his career to gather the globalisation story. He is, in fact, also a resounding answer to those who8217;d see globalisation as a spreading virus of standardisation. To understand his reach, one always has to remember: think local. That temple in Thailand, for instance, with Beckham being appropriated by a very Theravada Buddhist mould. And the curious appeal he held for Real Madrid when they paid 25 million pounds to acquire him from Manchester United. In gaining him, they wanted not only better results on the field. They had an eye on the merchandise market farther afield 8212; in Japan, for instance, where advertisers use European/American icons like Beckham for very local campaigns.

Football, in its global march, does not simply harness football celebrities or enlarge the space for those celebrities to operate in. Its global appeal also creates opportunities for modernising agendas to play themselves out. Two years ago Iran8217;s reigning mullahs, to take just one example, had to budge from their opposition to allowing women into stadiums. Protesters used a World Cup qualifier to contest that proscription. And when Iran did win the tie, the celebrations on the street broke every rule of the revolutionary regime. The regime, wisely, chose to not join issue with these secular demands.