"Yahoo will allow me to interact one on one with as many football fans as possible talking about the game I love." The statement is from world-famous soccer star David Beckham, whose (in all probability) last World Cup appearance was recently snatched away by a torn Achilles tendon.

So famous is Beckham, it seems odd that he'd be teaming up with a company generally considered a bit past its prime, though it remains an online powerhouse. More to the point, Yahoo is hardly a one-stop soccer news source. On the other hand, Beckham's popularity might be an asset in Yahoo's "global integrated marketing campaign," inwhich TechCrunch's Robin Wauters reports Beckham will also be "featured ... throughout the duration of the World Cup in select markets." Wauters quotes the press release on the campaign's goal:

To drive more people to search, use and talk about Yahoo! through exciting and experiential demonstrations of our unique ability to bring my world and the world together

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Heather Horn