LeBron on MLS in Miami: ‘We’re working on it’
Miami Heat forward LeBron James. AP FILE PHOTO
ORLANDO, Florida — LeBron James spoke out again Wednesday about his involvement with David Beckham and the retired superstar’s plan to bring an MLS team to Miami.
Specifically, James talked about finding a place for the team to call home.
“We’re working on it,” James said.
Beckham scouted some Miami locations last week. Beckham, who played for the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS, has the right to pay $25 million to start an expansion franchise, and is seeking investors to assist with the overall startup costs such as stadium construction and player acquisitions.
“I wish it was easy,” James said. “We’re working on it. We’ll see what happens.”
MLS expansion is all the rage in Florida these days, with Beckham deciding last month that the former England captain wanted to bring a team to Miami and after Orlando was awarded a team that will begin play in 2015.
James and the Miami Heat were in Orlando on Wednesday to play the Magic.
“I think the passion is the No. 1 thing,” James said, asked why he finds football appealing. “The passion that the fans have about the game of soccer, it’s pretty intense.
It’s pretty awesome. I had an opportunity to go to a game in England and it was an unbelievable experience. It’s a world-renown sport.”
James has a small ownership stake in Premier League club Liverpool through his involvement with Fenway Sports Management.
The NBA’s four-time MVP has often said – and as recently as a few weeks ago – that he would like to play one NFL game before his athletic career ends. But when it comes to his two sons, both of whom are basketball players, James apparently wants them playing more ‘futbol’ than ‘football.’
“No football,” James said. “Soccer.”
