How big a crowd would David Beckham draw here?

[120dB]

Seats now filling up in the Upper Deck across from the Scoreboard in Section 51 up to Row PP. The highest row in Level 4 is V V (Row 29). BC Place has 69 rows total, Commonwealth in Edmonton 83

[120dB]

This is like the wave!! Now up to Row JJ in Section 3 ! Soon we'll be on the scoreboard side where those stupid tarps are! Keep going !!

[120dB]

One goal and one assist in his first full game! And a yellow card! Way to go Beckham! That goal he scored was a beauty; it was as if the ball had eyes

[hexx]

Those tarps are a blight and do nothing to improve the stadium experience. I hope they stay down regardless if the seats are sold for Lions games.

[120dB]

Well they're now at Section 9 Row UU (top row is ZZ) and I've been watching them move across from the other side Sec 44, so the end across from the scoreboard is going quickly.

The last step is to open up the Upper deck on the Scoreboard side with the tarps over the seats. That could happen anytime now. Some fans may be waiting in the wings to gobble up those tickets as the lower rows on the Upper Deck are almost gone.

[SammyGreene]

Becks sidelined for 6 weeks with knee injury.

Game will have to be rescheduled:

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=217247&hubname=

[TheLionKing]

That loud bang you heard was 120db falling off his NOISE sign.

[B.C.FAN]

Bob Lenarduzzi said on SportsTalk with Rick Quinton tonight that he's been in touch with the Galaxy and expects to know by the end of next week whether the game will have to be rescheduled. He said the Beckham is expected to miss 4-6 weeks but they'll have a better estimate next week. He's sure the game will happen in 2007 but the scheduled date is in question.

[sj-roc]

Several pages back in this thread, I wrote:

The date [for the Beckham game] has been set: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 7:00 PM at BC Place.
http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/?id=5059

On a Wednesday? A full month before the CFL season ends? With therefore no risk of a clash with a potential Lions home playoff game?

How very unCanadian...

and now...

...Beckham is expected to miss 4-6 weeks but they'll have a better estimate next week. He's sure the game will happen in 2007 but the scheduled date is in question.

Maybe I spoke too soon... even without a same day clash, it might hamper the practice schedule at BC Place if -- which, mind you, is a bigger "if" now than when I first wrote the above in April -- we end up with a playoff game very soon after the rescheduled date. Fortunately six weeks from now only gets us to mid-October, so it's still not that likely.

[Dan_Payne_fan!!]

That loud bang you heard was 120db falling off his NOISE sign.

LOL!!!

[120dB]

Complicating matters is they'll be installing a special grass field in the dome for that Galaxy game. I assume it's on the insistence of David Beckham to play on a softer surface.

I recall a similar situation in '98 for the American Bowl. Jerry Rice wouldn't play in the game here cause he found the old turf too hard (I believe he had an injury). That probably affected ticket sales cause the dome looked so empty that afternoon. The Backstreet Boys singing the anthem was disgusting.

So mabey the Lions could practice on this special turf to try it out. The Galaxy regular season ends October 21 and it doesn't look like the galaxy will make the playoffs. The MLS playoffs end November 18.

How long would it take to sew down that special turf in the dome?

I'd like to see Beckham here on the Saturday night before the Western Final. That way we can have two sellouts in two days.

[120dB]

Looking on the BC Place calendar they've given 5 days for move in / move out conversion for the Beckham match. This indicates some modification to the present field, adding a grass field possibly and realignment of seating possibly.

After October 3 they have to get the Stadium ready for the Home and Interior Design show then a Lions game on the 20th.

If the game is rescheduled, the only open dates I can see would be October 21-25 (after the Lions game and before the Vancouver Snow Show) and Nov 4 - 8 (between a Lions game and a possible semi-Final game here).

If they can't wing that they'll have to wait till later, at which point some fans may just lose interest

[Robbie]

Both teams are still committed to playing a game together in 2007, even if the original October 3 date needs to be rescheduled.

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/?id=6096

[WestCoastJoe]

Yawn ...

Apologies to Beckham fans, which apparently number in the gazillions.

Hype, hype, hype

Does he earn his full salary while injured? Not bad if he does (a few thousand per minute played I heard today).

What is it? $50 million for 5 years.

When I heard about the deal, I thought it made no sense, even as a business deal. Dunno. That is a lot of jerseys to sell to make it worthwhile.

[Canuck_4_Life]

8.5 million (number of jersey pre-orders) x 80 (cost/jersey) = 680 million
Beckham's contract = $10 million/season for 5 years

difference - $630 million