Is David Beckham a god?

The post-September 11 world is dominated by fear and suspicion. Leaders such as Bush, Howard and Blair have done more to intensify these feelings than give relief. It is in other areas of life that we must find rays of hope. Despite inevitable scandals and violence, sport at its best affords glimpses of the sacred and shows us the exceptional feats that individuals are capable of, as well as how people can come together peacefully in observance of them.

The danger of my argument is the implication that sport is a solution to the world’s problems, when it can be no more than a comforting symbolic salve. It offers a chance to ponder the freedom and expression of the body, as opposed to its imprisonment and torture. Lasting salvation, however, will take more than games.

Another problem of the logic presented here is the assumption that those who excel in the sporting arena should lead exemplary lives away from it. This will not be the case. The media and celebrity culture, as well as the immaturity and outright stupidity of some sportspeople will coalesce to ensure that sordid affairs and activities are revealed. The gods of sport will be revealed as less than god-like. Or to express it another way, David Beckham will have sex with the Australian nanny of his children, Rebecca Loos.

The fact that he is capable of transcendence - a moment of beauty as he bends a ball almost magically for a goal - is still cause for hope. This feat is an analogy for contemporary politics, one that implores our leaders to follow Beckham’s on-field example. They need to make humanity gasp at their skill and artistry as they inspire us to rise above conflict by word and deed whilst forcefully reminding us that each life is sacred, even though as they do so, we know that they are imperfect characters and that this transcendence will be but fleeting.