Injured Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham will make at least one more appearance on ESPN this season, though not on the field.
Beckham will join the team of Glenn Davis, Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smyth in the booth for MLS Primetime Thursday tomorrow night. Had he not been injured, Beckham would have been the featured star in the nationally televised Chivas USA/Galaxy game; though he will not play, ESPN is hoping that his star power can draw at least some of the audience that watched him play previously.
Three games in which Beckham has played on ESPN have averaged a 0.7 cable rating, led the 1.0 cable rating for his first game in the U.S., a friendly against Chelsea FC in July. Every game Beckham has played on ESPN or ESPN2 has set an MLS ratings record for the network, including his last game — against Chivas USA on August 23 — which was the highest rated MLS telecast ever on ESPN2.
