August 4, 2007

No one is more loyal or resilient than the fans of big-time sports. They put up with scandals, chronic losing and the greed of some franchise owners, and still they open their wallets for their favourite teams. But when it comes to testing their well-known patience, Major League Soccer has broken new ground.

MLS used to operate well below the public radar, but that has changed since the Los Angeles Galaxy recruited veteran English star David Beckham and built its marketing strategy around him. MLS and the other clubs were delighted to hop aboard for the ride, as Beckham's arrival sparked unprecedented interest from fans, broadcasters and sponsors, put the league on front pages around the world, sent merchandise sales soaring and led to a string of sellouts for games involving his new team.

But Beckham's wonky left ankle, which has limited him to a brief appearance in an exhibition game two weeks ago, has put MLS in a delicate spot from a public-relations standpoint. The injury, which has prevented him from making his much-vaunted MLS debut, is no fault of his. But the league and its franchises are about to pay a heavy price in fan disillusionment for the overhyping of an aging soccer player with a history of injuries.

"It's certainly wearing thin," said David Carter, the executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, who has had a close-up view of the Hollywood-style publicity cranked up to plug the arrival of Beckham and his glamorous wife, Victoria (a.k.a. Posh Spice). "The hype was over the top, and a lot of folks feel they were sold a bill of goods."

After paying twice the normal ticket charge, one fan in Dallas this week posted a sign that declared "David, welcome to America where people like you get paid to do nothing."

As for MLS, it wants to make it clear the Beckham "hype machine" is not its doing and clubs are free to set their own ticket policies.

"We're fortunate that David Beckham is one of the most popular athletes in the world," Dan Courtemanche, the league's senior vice-president for marketing and communications, said this week. "But from a traditional marketing standpoint, the league office has not produced a campaign to promote him."

It's true the main promotion has been left to the league's broadcast and corporate partners. But most clubs have built their ticket campaigns around his team's visits, and the league website offers an exclusive daily Beckham report, something it doesn't do for other players.

It remains doubtful Beckham will suit up for tomorrow's game against Toronto FC. The expansion Toronto side is one of the few MLS clubs that would not be affected one way or the other, because it is selling out all of its games (although there was a significant spike to the team's season-ticket sales in January when the Galaxy announced the Beckham signing). Yet it still went to the trouble of warning fans this week not to expect a refund if Beckham doesn't play. That's the wrong message to be sending, sports marketing experts say.

In Dallas, where the top ticket price for the match was $250 (U.S.), the club is attempting to mollify fans by giving them first crack at tickets the next time the Galaxy come to town. It shouldn't expect a big rush at the gates.

"I was shocked by Dallas's reaction," Bob Stellick, a sports marketing consultant in Toronto, said.

The decision to goose prices for the single match was also foolish, if the goal is to build a stronger fan base. "Talk about short-term thinking," Stellick added. "That just smacks of opportunism."

Given his effect on ticket sales league-wide, the best way to deal with the fan disenchantment is to offer a free pass to another game or a full refund, sports marketer Brad Robins said. To do otherwise would look like a bait-and-switch, even if it's unintentional.

"They're attempting to buy trial [of the sport], using Beckham as the hook," he said. "If they're thinking otherwise, they're fooling themselves."

bmilner@globeandmail.com