David Beckham's Soccer USA
Encyclopedia
David Beckham's Soccer USA is a football
highlights and general discussion show presented by Tim Lovejoy
and produced and broadcast in the UK by Five. The show began following David Beckham
's move to Los Angeles Galaxy
, and Beckham often contributes to the show in the form of Interview
s. Each week there is a special guest in the studio, usually a British sports personality, to whom Lovejoy chats about their career and their views on Major League Soccer
. A slightly different version of the show hosted by Natalie Pinkham
and completely devoid of any content derived from British studio footage is broadcast in the USA on Fox Soccer Channel
.
Several regular features aside from MLS highlights are present in every show. One of these features is a "translation" of American commentary, called "How to speak U.S. Commentator". This provides a definition of slang
used by commentators which differs from that used in Britain. Viewers are also invited to choose an MLS team to support and email their choice to the show, from which polls are collected, determining the nation's favourite teams.
As of the beginning of September, the show was cut to 30 minutes due to Channel 5 rescheduling their news.
s which run over several weeks, such as:
1. At the beginning of each show, Lovejoy introduces himself as a Chelsea and Kansas Wizards fan, after which he says 'Go Wizards'. A silver curving flash then appears across the screen and the presenter moves his hand in the direction of the flash as it moves across the screen. The flash and Lovejoy's hand are almost never co-ordinated, adding a comic element.
2. Many of the guests have referred to Scottish player Paul Dalglish
, who plays for Houston Dynamo, which has led Lovejoy to suggest the title of the programme is changed to 'Paul Dalglish's Soccer USA'.
3. Lovejoy sometimes gives an update on one of the MLS clubs, and calls it, for example, 'Houston Update' or 'New England Update'. After he is finished, he then goes on to the 'Dallas update', and talks not about FC Dallas, the MLS team, but the hit TV show Dallas
.
4. Lovejoy will often comment on and show a clip of player Logan Pause followed by Tim pretending to have been paused by standing very still for around 5 seconds.
, who is traditionally out on location at various Major League Soccer
related events. The British version is hosted by Tim Lovejoy
in a studio.
2. The American version is presented as a serious highlight show, featuring game footage with all English highlight packages narrated by JP Dellacamera
. The British version is presented as a lighthearted educational look at Major League Soccer
and soccer in the US in general. The British version contains a highlight package featuring the original broadcast commentators, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish, depending on the source of the original broadcast.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
highlights and general discussion show presented by Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy
Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...
and produced and broadcast in the UK by Five. The show began following David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
's move to Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
, and Beckham often contributes to the show in the form of Interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s. Each week there is a special guest in the studio, usually a British sports personality, to whom Lovejoy chats about their career and their views on Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. A slightly different version of the show hosted by Natalie Pinkham
Natalie Pinkham
Natalie Pinkham is a British television and radio presenter, who is currently the pitlane correspondent for BBC Radio 5 Live's Formula 1 coverage. She is also known for hosting Police Interceptors Special Edition on 5*...
and completely devoid of any content derived from British studio footage is broadcast in the USA on Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Soccer is an American television specialty channel, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. It formerly broadcast rugby and Australian rules football, but is now dedicated strictly to soccer...
.
Several regular features aside from MLS highlights are present in every show. One of these features is a "translation" of American commentary, called "How to speak U.S. Commentator". This provides a definition of slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
used by commentators which differs from that used in Britain. Viewers are also invited to choose an MLS team to support and email their choice to the show, from which polls are collected, determining the nation's favourite teams.
As of the beginning of September, the show was cut to 30 minutes due to Channel 5 rescheduling their news.
Running gags
The show is presented in a light-hearted manner and contains a variety of running gagRunning gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
s which run over several weeks, such as:
1. At the beginning of each show, Lovejoy introduces himself as a Chelsea and Kansas Wizards fan, after which he says 'Go Wizards'. A silver curving flash then appears across the screen and the presenter moves his hand in the direction of the flash as it moves across the screen. The flash and Lovejoy's hand are almost never co-ordinated, adding a comic element.
2. Many of the guests have referred to Scottish player Paul Dalglish
Paul Dalglish
Paul Kenneth Dalglish is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Dalglish, son of former Scotland international Kenny Dalglish, was born in Glasgow though spent his childhood in Liverpool where his father managed Liverpool F.C...
, who plays for Houston Dynamo, which has led Lovejoy to suggest the title of the programme is changed to 'Paul Dalglish's Soccer USA'.
3. Lovejoy sometimes gives an update on one of the MLS clubs, and calls it, for example, 'Houston Update' or 'New England Update'. After he is finished, he then goes on to the 'Dallas update', and talks not about FC Dallas, the MLS team, but the hit TV show Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
.
4. Lovejoy will often comment on and show a clip of player Logan Pause followed by Tim pretending to have been paused by standing very still for around 5 seconds.
Differences between the British and American versions
1. The American version is hosted by Natalie PinkhamNatalie Pinkham
Natalie Pinkham is a British television and radio presenter, who is currently the pitlane correspondent for BBC Radio 5 Live's Formula 1 coverage. She is also known for hosting Police Interceptors Special Edition on 5*...
, who is traditionally out on location at various Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
related events. The British version is hosted by Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy
Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...
in a studio.
2. The American version is presented as a serious highlight show, featuring game footage with all English highlight packages narrated by JP Dellacamera
JP Dellacamera
John Paul Dellacamera , known as JP , is an American sportscaster for Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union and the Fox Soccer Channel.-Soccer:...
. The British version is presented as a lighthearted educational look at Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
and soccer in the US in general. The British version contains a highlight package featuring the original broadcast commentators, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish, depending on the source of the original broadcast.