In the 21st century the media holds an ever increasing effect on the day to day lives of celebrities and sports figures. In this essay I intend to highlight and analyse the Medias portrayal of one of our countries top sports personalities. I will discuss how different forms of the media have obsessed with the highs and lows of England football captain, David Beckhams much publicised career. It is amazing to think that merely five years ago this man was possibly the most hated person in England due to the Medias exposure of an event that took place in a simple football match. Beckhams image was soon to change after he presented amazing levels of character both on and off the field. Due to the media, Beckhams status has changed from a bad tempered youth to a national hero known as Captain Marvel! This essay will explore how David Beckhams position as an international icon has elevated throughout years of media attention, and find evidence to prove how the media has made him into the much adored role model he has become.

"News may be true, but it is not truth, and reporters and officials seldom see it same way" (James Reston, US journalist)

Everywhere you look you see sport intertwined into everyday life, be it on the television, in your back yard, in schools, universities or in social networks. Nobody can escape the influence of sport, either as a spectator or a participant - it's everywhere.

With any successful sports career comes the spotlight and the constant media. People are forced to forfeit their private lives to live in a constant fish bowl. As a sports celebrity, your every movement is splashed all over the front pages of newspapers, magazines, radio and the television. It is impossible to escape the constant scrutinization by the media, as they wait anxiously for the next athlete to fall. There is no privacy. The press picks up on all the mistakes, ready to expose them, and use them as a form of entertainment for the public. One word out of context can stick with you for the rest of your career. The United Kingdom is particular renowned for its, "Scandal stories," and tabloid newspapers.

David Beckham has been under constant attack from the media for the past few years. In July 1999, his face was on the front cover of every newspaper in England, for the simple reason he cut all his hair off! I ask you what is the big deal about a 24 year old changing his hairstyle? But the British public lapped the story up, and I found myself wondering why? Or, more to the point, so what? It has nothing to do with his football ability. The pioneering US broadcast reporter Edward R. Murrow once famously stated, that journalism 'must hold a mirror behind the nation and the world' and that, more over 'The mirror must have no curves and must be held with a steady hand' (cited in Macdonald 1979:310). Repeatedly over the years Beckham has received criticism within the media for stories which are more often than not untrue, but I guess this is just another price to pay for the cost of fame.

David Beckham started his football career off with trials for both Tottenham Hotspurs and Leyton Orient. He signed a professional contract for Manchester United and was quickly thrown into the spotlight after winning the FA youth cup in 1992, scoring one of the winning goals against Crystal Palace. He didn't really establish himself until 1996 when a stunning long-range shot beat Neil Sullivan in the Wimbledon goal. Since this point, the media attention on David has escalated out of control. Once known as the brill cream boy he now holds the title of Captain Marvel. This has proved to be very testing for David and his family over the last eight years as the ever increasing attention has sparked acts such as stalking and even death threats.

David introduced himself to world football at the World Cup in 1998. He was left out of the starting line up for the first two matches, this was a decision that manager Glenn Hoddle received a lot of criticism for. However, David got his chance in a group match against Columbia where he scored a stunning free-kick to help England win the match. By doing this he proved what the nation already believed, that David was a world-class footballer. Unfortunately David's glory only lasted a matter of days when he was sent off for foolishly kicking out at the Argentinean midfielder Diego Simeone. England went on to lose the match and were therefore, knocked out of the World Cup. Following this incident experts were predicting an exit from English football was imminent. David was receiving death threats and abuse from every football ground in England. The tabloid newspapers victimised Beckham for this and used him as the scapegoat for England being knocked out of the world cup. "Beck-home" said The Sun, "10 heroic lions, one stupid boy" proclaimed The Mirror. As you can see from article one, all tabloid newspapers destroyed Beckham. They chose the information they wanted their audience to know and turned the nation against him.

In a season where experts expected David to crumble both as a footballer and as a person he managed to reinstate himself as England's most valuable footballer. This was a great year for David both professionally and in his personal life. He blocked the ever present abuse and managed to help Manchester United to one of their most successful seasons, they won an unprecedented treble of competitions. However, that was later overshadowed by the birth of his first Son Brooklyn and the marriage to his Spice Girl partner Victoria 'Posh Spice' Adams. This was an event that sparked a huge amount of interest from both the public and the media. OK! Magazine had bought the photographic rights for the wedding for one million pounds; this was a huge deal for OK! However, this lucrative deal was unobserved after the Sun newspaper had cheekily published five photographs from the wedding the week before OK! were due to publish their magazine. (See article 2 &3) This event was typical of the media hype that the Beckham's endure.
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In the 1999/2000 season David was yet again subjected to media pressure when he had a well publicised argument with manager Sir Alex Ferguson after his failure to attend a scheduled training session. David claimed that his child, Brooklyn was sick. However, Sir Alex wasn't impressed by this excuse and David was therefore dropped from the next Manchester United game. This sparked a huge public interest as it was seen that David was being punished for being a good father. As always in football attention from foreign clubs followed this press with the likes of Inter Milan and ...

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