According to a June 24 London Times article, soccer superstar and international figure David Beckham is poised to lecture at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, which is jointly run by USC Annenberg and the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
One executive at the Los Angeles office of the David Beckham Academy told the Times that Beckham is hoping to “broaden his message” about the importance of soccer. “I am sure David would be very keen to talk to students about this," the executive said.
Beckham has argued that soccer is much more than a mere sport: “It brings people together in hope, which is what I want to do with the academy,” he said. “It’s about physical excellence but it’s also about teamwork, working together to solve problems and celebrating together.”
Said public diplomacy director Nicholas Cull, who is organizing a global seminar on the role of sport in diplomacy next year: “People who don’t follow football don’t appreciate what a globally significant figure Beckham is even now with his career in transition."
