Beckham’s arrival has déjà vu written all over it déjà vu [dey-zhah voo, vyoo; Fr. dey-zha vy] -noun

1. Psychology. the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time.

2. disagreeable familiarity or sameness.

Once upon a time, a professional sports franchise based in Los Angeles, Calif. dealt for a superstar player that was a national icon. He was a symbol that was so synonymous (and still is) with his game that when one utters the name of the sport, one would immediately identify him by name.

Are we talking about David Beckham, international futbol star, known metrosexual and a man who transcends his sport the way Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan have that signed a five-year, $25 million deal with MLS club the Los Angeles Galaxy?

Nope, we’re talking about Wayne Gretzky.

While both athletes come from different countries (Gretzky from Canada; Beckham from England), play different sports (hockey for Gretzky; futbol for Beckham), married stars (one the actress Janet Jones; the other pop celebrity ‘Posh Spice’), their paths have some eerie parallels and the potential transactions could have similar results.

Take Gretzky first.

Gretzky was an immensely popular figure in Edmonton, Alta. and all throughout Canada. He was a media darling — scoring goals, setting up teammates with deft passes and leading the Edmonton Oilers to multiple Stanley Cups. Every move he made, everyone seemed to know about it. Some had said that if he wanted to, he could run for Prime Minister of Canada and would win in a landslide.

His polarizing figure resulted in his wedding to American actress Janet Jones (by actress, I use that term loosely — I don’t recall a massive audience going to see American Anthem with gymnast Mitch Gaylord. Perhaps you might’ve seen her in Pink Flamingo with Matt Dillon in the white swimsuit. Eh, it doesn’t really matter) being televised on most major networks throughout the Great White North, matching the audience to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (Princess Di) in the Commonwealth of Canada.

All good things must come to end and that end came on August 9, 1988.

When Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington traded/sold Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings, it forever changed the landscape of hockey in the United States and set the stage for an NHL boom. And it also changed the perception of Gretzky in Edmonton and all of Canada.

His wife was compared to Yoko Ono, the wife of Beatles great John Lennon who was longed blamed for the break-up of the super group. Like Ono, Jones was getting the blame for the break-up, with catcalls by Canadians as the one who pushed for the trade so she could further her acting career.

The circus arrived to Los Angeles and the southern United States when Gretzky took to the ice at The Great Western Forum in LA. The impact of the trade to the Kings had far reaching ramifications, helping the league expand in the United States to such hockey ‘hotbeds’ as Florida (the Lightning and Panthers), Arizona (the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix), Anaheim (the Ducks), and San Jose (Sharks) to name a few.

Not only that, as ESPN’s Keith Olberman put it, it turned hockey in the second largest market in the United States from a tertiary sport to a secondary sport, saving the franchise for Los Angeles and perhaps saving the sport itself. It brought a large amount of exposure to the gifted Gretzky, opening up the eyes of such sports marketing machines like Nike, who centered a campaign around the playmaker and included him in the popular “Bo Knows…” marketing onslaught by the shoe maker.

Enter Beckham.

Beckham’s looks and marketing appeal catapulted him into super stardom while playing for Manchester United. Man U., as they are called by the futbol loving faithful, is arguably the most recognizable team in all of European soccer. His popularity even spurred a movie, Bend it Like Beckham, a reference to his tremendous craftsmanship in working a ball from the corner pitch on goal. And much like Gretzky, he married �ber popular songstress Victoria Adams (a.k.a. “Posh Spice”) on July 4, 1999.

The comparisons don’t stop there. Beckham’s immense popularity overseas has exceeded the boundaries of European soccer and continent, prompting countless Americans young and old to buy a fashionable number seven Man U. jersey.

His transaction from Manchester United to the Los Angeles Galaxy sparked outrage among English soccer faithful, with fingers being pointed every which way, from his dissatisfaction with his role on the club to his wife meddling where she shouldn’t be (sound familiar, Gretzky fans?). The probable reason: the move was engineered by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the powerhouse behind Major League Soccer (MLS) and The David Beckham Sports Academy (more on that in a bit).

The trans-continental move from the Spanish coast to the land of Hollywood provoked headlines in The London Times tinged with a slight case of outrage. But the key question is: will his move to SoCal have the same effect on soccer as Gretzky’s did for hockey in the United States?

In the sports marketing arena, the move to MLS’ Galaxy should be a boon for his endorsement client�le and, to a lesser extent, his and his wife’s acting aspirations in Hollywood. His endorsement deal with adidas should give more marketing buck to the shoe manufacturer’s dollar, as Beckham in America provides them a huge market to fully tap and leverage the combination of good looks, star power and reputation to a new audience. Beckham’s sports academies, named after the player, are owned and operated by AEG, the sports and entertainment powerhouse that operate MLS facilities and own a few teams in the league. Also, AEG should benefit economically from the up tick in attendance at its facilities, especially the Home Depot Center, home of the L.A. Galaxy and….the aforementioned sports academy.

The real measuring stick will be the move’s effect on the still young soccer league’s growth. The league, as it stands now, is largely headed in the right direction, with operating profits trending upward and new facilities being built. MLS is still finding its way from their humble beginnings and controlling its finances, but their business model from the start remains largely intact. Teams are still owned by the league and are operated by independent groups (like AEG).

The main difference between Gretzky’s arrival to Beckham’s is hockey was closer to the mainstream that soccer currently resides on the sports landscape (tertiary vis-�-vi secondary) and Gretzky’s offensive prowess in play after play set him apart from Beckham. While hockey has struggled in recent years with lockouts and financial problems with some ownerships, the league continues to function. In Gretzky’s day, his ‘wow’ factor helped generate an interest that wasn’t present in the United States — his ability to create game breaking plays in end-to-end action caused raucous cheers from standing room only crowds at the Forum in Los Angeles and created a buzz never before seen in the States.

The odds may be against Beckham to generate the same kind of buzz that The Great One did, but it’s sure gonna be fun watching him play in the U.S. of A.