The official deadline for David Beckham to exercise his option to own a Major League Soccer team is tomorrow, and yet there's still been no official announcement. Until then we're just relying on rumors, leaks, unofficial chatter and tabloid reports.
At least Britain's the Daily Star is carrying an amusing if probably not entirely accurate report that Beckham is convincing just about every A-list star in America to buy minor stakes in the team. That list supposedly includes (deep breath) Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Jack Nicholson, Eva Longora, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol.
Of those names only LeBron James' potential involvement has been reported before, and James has confirmed that he's at least interested.
Cruise, Longoria and the Smiths are all Hollywood friends with Beckham and his wife Victoria, and Beckham and Nicholson have been spotted court side at Lakers games. Any relationship between the Beckhams and the Carter-Knowles is news to us.
Though, it's the idea of Bryant and Gasol buying into any Miami sports team, let alone alongside James, that strikes us as the most fantastical detail.
The idea of assembling a hodgepodge of celebrities as minority owners in a sports franchise is nothing new. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has already tried that gimmick. Gloria and Emilio Estefan, the Williams sisters, Marc Anthony and Fergie all have small stakes in the Fins. Though all those stars, save for Fergie, have more organic ties to the South Florida area.
We're going to chalk this report up as at least partial fantasy, but until Beckham gets around to announcing actual details we're not sure of anything.
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