Imagine being in Barcelona for the biggest game of the Spanish soccer season. Imagine the Madrid team arriving in the city. Soccer lovers and haters alike probably know about this game for one reason: David Beckham.

Neither the healthiest nor the best player on Madrid, he did recently sign an enormous (triple digit millions here) contract to peace out of European soccer and try some kicking time in California.

Now, this is the Opinion section, not sports. So why are you reading a column right now about David Beckham, an athlete barely tolerated and largely loathed by many hardcore soccer fans? It’s because David Beckham’s arrival has little to do with his abilities using his left foot. Beckham is more than an athlete ‘ he’s a star. Basketball had its Jordan. Baseball has its Jeter. Soccer has its Beckham.

No, I’m not comparing their abilities. I’m comparing their marketability: the skill to take their talent and capitalize on it. I don’t mean the sneakers or the ‘Got milk?’ advertisements ‘ or the really ridiculous good looks. It really is about the glory of the sport.

I’m not a sports person in the traditional sense. I’m usually in it for the atmosphere and the excuse to cheer. However, soccer is really more than just a sport ‘ which is why I am so fascinated with the Beckham potential.

Soccer is truly a global phenomenon. I just spent the past week in Barcelona, in the heart of the soccer universe. Everywhere you turn, there is a jersey or homage to Ronaldinho. And Barcelona isn’t even having a good season. There is just a soccer culture; it breeds a sense of unity and camaraderie, and yes, the occasional outburst of violence.

In America, we don’t have this. But we do have athletes, who through either promotion or charity or raw skill bring a sport to the forefront. They bring out the best in their game, taking the team, and consequently the sport, to some kind of inspirational point. You can loathe the Yankees all you want, but Jeter is an appealing and glamorous athlete whose actions off the field bring greater attention to his game on the field. And who doesn’t love Jordan: the man, the sneakers and ‘Space Jam’?

Beckham could do this for soccer. For the goal-obsessed out there, you’re probably a part of the world-wide groaning at the attention this declining athlete gets for his abs and his Spice Girl. But in the grand scheme of things, who really cares if his Barca summer house gets converted to one of the coolest discos in the city? He can bring new fans to a sport neglected by American sports and an advertising-obsessed culture.

Perhaps Beckham and the rest of the world have caught onto a trend that is a little bit more than a sport.