(CNN) -- Father, son, husband of
a Spice Girl, fashion icon, role model, sporting ambassador. It is sometimes
easy to forget that David Beckham was ever a midfielder of the highest caliber
with more than 100 appearances for England.
He wore a sarong, a headscarf, nail varnish,
adorned his body with tattoos and changed his expertly coiffured hair-do
practically every week. He spoke sparingly and, when he did, it was with a
high-pitched, slightly effeminate whine. And, as far as anyone could tell, his
female partner seemed to make all the important decisions. And yet his
masculinity was never in doubt.
In the 1990s, we called Beckham a New Man, or
a metrosexual. He was evidently straight, but never aggressive or even
assertive in a traditional masculine way. In fact, he seemed mild-mannered. He
dressed stylishly -- if a little too flamboyantly for many tastes -- groomed
himself painstakingly and appeared unembarrassed when asked about his
formidable following of gay fans.
There was a shimmering complexity, a quiet
elegance, and perhaps even a sly wit about Beckham. Footballers, as the world
knew them, were hard-boiled characters, who liked a drink and a good play up,
especially after a game. Their reputation was hewn from the granite of working
class tradition -- men were tough and affectless. We can barely imagine the
reaction in the locker room when Beckham unpacked moisturizer, bronzer, and
assorted hair products from his kit bag.
I n the late 1990s, when he first surfaced,
only Beckham could get away with it. After all, he enjoyed the adoration of
women all over the world, had a pop star girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, and
had to fend off advertisers who clamored for his endorsement services. He was a
man with the world at his feet. He still is.
Today, cultural history is unimaginable
without Beckham -- because he helped change that history. He slew the image of
the unrelentingly macho sport hero and emerged heroically as the world's first
all-purpose celebrity athlete. A symbol of a new masculinity.
Can
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And still we have to remind ourselves:
Beckham was never rated as the best footballer in the world. And, far from
being a hellraiser or a serial womanizer like many a notorious sports figure,
he was squeaky clean.
Well, at least until
2004 when the News of the World tabloid alleged that he had an affair with
his assistant -- something he denied. Paradoxically, the alleged affair added
rather than subtracted from his already iconic status, introducing a dash of
devilry and rescuing Beckham from a kind of borderline piousness, and
perhaps issuing a reminder that, despite all the affectations, his manhood was
beyond doubt.
So why is Beckham the game-changing celebrity
athlete?
There were two David Beckhams: one the
flesh-and-blood mortal who kicked a ball around for a living, the other a
character that existed independently of time and space -- a product of our
imaginations.
Everyone thought they knew Beckham and
enjoyed a secret relationship with him. He was like a blank canvas. Had he
espoused his own views, or aligned himself with great causes he would have
spoiled it. But he was silent, giving interviews rarely -- and, I suspect, at
Victoria's discretion. And while he stayed largely unknown, the Beckham
mystique grew.
When Beckham first entered the popular
consciousness it was amid feelings of hate and revenge. Red-carded in a crucial
England game against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, Beckham was blamed for
his team's exit. Effigies of him were burnt and he was forced to retreat. It's
difficult to imagine the intensity of the loathing back then. Yet it was
crucial in generating interest, even, passion.
The sight, even the name of Beckham stirred
up powerful feelings. Football fans may have despised him, but others were just
curious. And they became more curious as Beckham defiantly refused to give
interviews or make public appearances, save for at the occasional fashion
launch or a party hosted by a rock star or designer. All this was very
un-footballer-like and faintly unmanly.
By the time Beckham and Victoria were married
in 1999, interest in him had extended far beyond the football fraternity. His
most devoted followers knew nothing of football. Unlike traditional sport fans,
they were not interested in how he played: they were interested in him -- just
Beckham.
At the start of the 21st century, there was
only an embryonic celebrity culture; the fascination we now have for people who
make no material impact on our lives and, in many cases, had no accomplishments
of note was a new and perplexing development. Fans knew famous sportsmen and
women by their talents and achievements. Beckham was different, he was known
for being Beckham and, in this sense, he was among the first generation of
celebrities.
Beckham's departure from football will not
mean his disappearance. He will remain on our TV screens, in our magazines and
on advertising hoardings the world over. But most significantly, he will remain
in our imaginations.
By
Ellis Cashmore
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