NEW YORK (AP) -- David Beckham's brief appearance in his first
game with the Los Angeles Galaxy was enough to draw a record
E-S-P-N audience for a game involving a Major League Soccer team.
Saturday night's exhibition match between the Galaxy and Chelsea
on earned a one-point-oh rating and was watched by about a (m)
million, 486-thousand people. M-L-S's debut game between D-C United
and the San Jose Clash in 1996 also drew a one-point-oh rating and
was watched by about a (m) million, 92-thousand people.
Hobbled by an ankle injury, Beckham played the final 12 minutes
plus four minutes of stoppage time in the Galaxy's 1-to-0 loss.
The rating means that approximately one percent of homes with
E-S-P-N tuned in to the game.
David Beckham, as LA Galaxy soccer player, walks onto field, Los
Angeles, California, video still
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
