So what if I'm purposely being provocative with the post title?

The Miami expansion bid is dead. According to some in the American soccer community, it's all David Beckham's fault. Although I've not seen a single quote from Marcelo Claure or FC Barcelona's brass that Beckham's transfer drama-cum-departure significantly contributed to their reservations about the bid, that hasn't stopped the talking-heads from declaring that the case.

*UPDATE*Looks like Claure did put some of the blame on Beckham. Oops. Big mistake on my part, although it doesn't change my opinion that it's a ridiculous viewpoint.

So did Beckham actually kill the Miami bid singlehandedly?

No chance.

Perhaps those who want to pin the blame on Beckham have heard of this little thing called the "economy". No Beckham certainly means less revenue initially, but should they really be counting on one player in the league to help them make money on what should be a long term investment?

Let's assume for a moment that Claure and FCB were in the expansion game partly because of Beckham, and that Golden Balls imminent departure put a serious dent in their chances for a strong initial return. Would we really want them running a team if that were the case?

We've already seen with Chivas USA that a connection to a strong foreign brand does not guarantee success either on the pitch or in the stands; add to that Miami's dodgy football history, and the death of Barca Miami is more of a pity killing than a murder perpetrated by a pretty boy Englishman.

Beckham may have aided and abetted, but he is not guilty on the charge of murder.