I’ve been writing a lot about David Beckham’s announcement about his desire to stay at AC Milan over at Beckham Groupie. David made the argument that this decision is all about – and only about – the football. The caliber of play is much higher in Europe and the season’s are mush longer. As a result, David is playing better and is in better shape than he ever was at the Galaxy.

“I want to think about football before everything else. I said in a clear manner what I think, I want to stay at Milan because I’ve rediscovered myself as a football player,” David told the press when explaining his decision.

However, the Galaxy has been playing hardball and refusing to let David out if his contract easily. And why not? The Galaxy has way more to lose out of this than David ever will. They’ve built their reputations, their brand, heck, their entire league and sport around his coming to America. For David to get up and go after only 2 years into a 5 year (and $35 million contract) says quite a few things that I don’t think the Galaxy will recover from. It says the Galaxy isn’t good enough for David, it says MLS isn’t good enough for David, it says the Galaxy was wrong when they brought David over. All not good things.

This is where the divide happens: the Galaxy and the MLS are treating David like a brand. A brand to build on, market and invest in. By partnering the Beckham brand with the Galaxy and MLS brand, all three are strengthened. David Beckham is acting like a player. A player that wants what’s best for himself right now.

David isn’t thinking about the long term consequences of this decision – what betraying an entire continent will do to the Beckham brand. The millions of soccer fans who welcomed David here, watched him evolve from an overblown injury-laden over-the-hill import to one of the leading contributors to the Galaxy (and now to Milan). I seriously doubt he’s even considered what this move will do to Victoria’s share of the Beckham dynasty.

I think the Galaxy has every right to get as make this as difficult as possible for David and the Galaxy. They have way more invested in this and have way more to lose.

David needs to grow up, stop thinking like a soccer player and starting thinking of himself as a brand – all the time, not just when he’s selling jerseys or hawking Motorola cell phones and Sharpies. ‘Cause if he is thinking this way, he’s deliberately turning his back on the future of North American soccer and those who are invested in it – and invested in him to make it better, faster. And that’s far sadder to think than whether it’s him just being short-sighted.

I need to come to terms with something. That something is that I no longer ironically love the Olsen twins. I genuinely love them. I emphasize with them. I want to be their best friend and dress like a homeless person while wearing sunglasses and vacant expressions, Starbucks latte permanently affixed to my right hand.

I’m not entirely sure how this happened. I loved Full House when I was younger and enjoyed my fair share of Mary-Kate and Ashley straight to DVD movies, but never with the same hyper-teenage-girl enthusiasm my sisters did. Then, as I got older, the concept of being their fan became funnier and funnier. In college, I loved the Olsen twins the way we loved Much Dance 1997, Armageddon and that french sing-along game show on Fridays. It’s so bad it’s good. But in a real, intellectual conversation about our likes and dislikes, they would never come up. We were college students. We were better than that.

This attitude spurred my application (and subsequent acceptance) to become the writer for MKAshley, a fan site dedicated to all things Olsen. Telling people “Oh, I write about Mary-Kate and Ashley. For a living.” would be hilarious, I thought. The jokes I would tell! What an antidote for parties! What better way to encapsulate my disinterested-yet-on-trend approach towards all things popular culture!

That was 18 months ago. Along the way, something started to happen. I started to like the Olsens.

I can’t explain it. Their interviews are horrifically boring. Their fashion sense has gotten worse over the past few years. They shun the limelight. Their acting is wooden and repetitive.

Yet, I’ve somehow developed a begrudging respect and outright fascination with these troll-like fashionistas that has evaded the other celebrities I write about (Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham, respectively). I like writing those blogs. I like the community those blogs have. But it’s not the same. I didn’t pre-order Nicole Richie’s book three months in advance. I probably won’t buy her CD. Or her jewelry line. But I suffer daily wanting everything Elizabeth & James produces, even though I can’t afford it.

Maybe it’s because they seem truly involved in their fashion brands. Or because I feel like I grew up with them. Or because their new book is freaking awesome.

Or maybe it’s because, deep down, I was always a giant fangirl. I just didn’t admit it to myself.