Has EVERYONE on this planet gone freaking insane?!?!?

[url]http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/news/content_objectid=13097161_method=full_siteid=106694_headline=-BECKS-TV-MEDICAL-name_page.html[/url]

BECKS TV MEDICAL

Jun 22 2003


By Paul Smith


DAVID Beckham's three-hour medical at Real Madrid on July 1 is expected to be televised live to a world-wide paying audience.

Subscribers to the Spanish club's television station will be joined by a global viewers as broadcasting rights go under the hammer across the world. Following the huge success of the pilot screening of Ronaldo's medical last summer, TV executives at Madrid are confident there will be massive interest in seeing Beckham put through his paces by the club's medical staff.

The bizarre sight of the most famous footballer on the planet stripping down to his boxer shorts will make for compelling viewing. A senior executive at Madrid said: "Viewers were gripped by Ronaldo's medical. It was a complete first and was a massive success. But judging by the hysteria surrounding Beckham, demands to see his medical will be far greater."

Beckham will undergo a thorough examination overseen by the club's medical staff and independent physicians.

At the moment the city is gripped by Beckham-mania and president Florentino Perez isn't missing a trick as he looks to cash in. If Beckham, 28, passes his medical as expected, a global TV audience will also witness his unveiling while 90,000 paying fans are expected to be in attendance.

Perez has even set a price of £2million for a one-off sponsor to receive prime location on a board immediately behind the player when he is introduced to the world as a Real Madrid man on July 2.

A measure of Beckham's popularity is that Madrid have already received more than two million inquiries for shirts with his name and number on the back. That's twice as many as the record, held by Brazilian striker Ronaldo who sold one million shirts when he was unveiled last season.

A club spokesman said: "We've been inundated with requests from places as far away as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. But it's a bit tricky because we don't know what number Beckham will get - and we may not know for quite some time."

Financial experts claim Beckham's popularity is growing at such a rate that Perez, who has attained 50 per cent of the player's image rights, is likely to have paid off the entire transfer fee inside three years.

I have never heard of David Beckham.

As in the movie "Bend It Like Beckham." He is the Michael Jordan of soccer and married to one of the Spice Girls.

Of course, soccer isn't exactly the most watched sport here in the U.S., so not many on this side of the pond have heard of him.

Good night!!!!! THAT is when you know you're a superstar. That's as super a star can get.

Oh yea, by the way, Ronaldo is so much better than Beckham

A few days ago, I was running errands around town, listening to the BBC on NPR.  I swear to god, during the hour long broadcast, they did a story or mentioned David Beckham's move to Real Madrid soccer club something like every five minutes. It is a huge story for the British.

So ask me anything you want to know about his salary, how his old owner feels, about how Barcelona's team lost the bid for him, his new challenges in learning Spanish....

He's married to the former Spice Girl Victoria Adams aka Posh Spice.

he's prob. the most popular athlete in the world, asians worship him for some reason

Well, look at the bright side.  At least they're not televising his prostate exam. [rolleyes]