Weekly Wits

Sportlight: David Beckham’s Other Side

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David Robert Joseph Beckham, 35 year old soccer star, celebrity, entertainer, and most of all a family man, is a living legend to many youngsters like me all over the world, and more so in a cricket frenzied part of the world. Many of us know Beckham only as a soccer star, a free kick specialist, and the man who scored from half line. But there is more to him than what meets the eye.
It’s the BUBBLE, as Beckham refers to his family and their effervescent world in his biography ‘My Side’. Beckham with Victoria and their 3 sons Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz make a wonderful picture. Beckham learned what comes along with all the fame the hard way when he had got various threat calls from kidnappers intimidating to kidnap his family. In his book ‘My side’ Beckham wrote “We were upset and scared, but you can’t just hide and hope it will all go away. My family’s safety is the most important thing in the world; it’s the same for any dad. So in the days after, it was a case of trying to work out what we could do.”
In his autobiography, Beckham mentions that they were like any other family; they shopped, went on holiday, and spent time with each other. With both mum and dad as celebrities; with the whole circus of paparazzi, publicity, finding their names on the front page every day they were still able to keep the ‘bubble’ bouncing. Beckham also underlined his joy on being a father, describing it as an unbelievable feeling only a dad can understand, the feeling was unique for all his three children but still not any one greater than the other.
Once when United were due training before their game against Chelsea, Brooklyn had his first nativity play at nursery school. Beckham like any other dad in the world was desperate to be at his son’s nursery school but he was denied permission from the coach and ended up winding up Sir Alex. This was a critical reason in the immensely written- about rift between Sir Alex Ferguson where Ferguson felt that life was never same for David after his marriage. He stated, “He was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time; he was a fantastic young lad. Getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing – from that moment, his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity; football is only a small part.”
His professional career has been a rollercoaster ride, he has seen his glory days come and go by. He has won accolades, silverware for his clubs, been through many tear-jerking injuries and some ghastly criticism (was held responsible for England’s 1998 world cup loss to Argentina where he was red carded). He was at his peak at United and people still wonder what if he hadn’t left, what if he was still at Manchester United? Probably, he would have achieved even greater heights but after all that has been said and done; the bottom line is that David Beckham in an illustrious career, in the face of ups and downs has been a perfect family person and an idol to many people in and outside the football fraternity.

Unlike my colleagues I’m not the one who writes an article with intrinsic details and ornate wordings. Being an economics student, I’ve learnt to do my work with perfection, in a simple yet immaculate manner. Although I’ve read the usual Dan Brown and Jackie Collin publications I am quite literally at loss of words when people around me start discussing the new bestseller by John Grisham or so. Not surprisingly then my favorite book is ‘David Beckham’s autobiography- My Side. Owner to the fancy title of ‘Sports Editor’ of DU Beat, I try to bring out my passion and enthusiasm in my work. Being a Manchester United fan (I can see you frown), my favorite quote is by none other than Captain fantastic Roy Keane: “Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail”.

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