David Beckham in 2010. Sometimes straight public figures who exude comfort and confidence help curb LGBT stereotypes without intending to. (Photo by Photo Works; courtesy Bigstock)

The effect of David Beckham on Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States is said to be incalculable. His impact ranged from increases in team expansion fees, television broadcast rights, merchandise sales to fan attendance. Those changes were felt by all MLS teams, not just the L.A. Galaxy for which he played from 2007 to 2012.

It has been two years since his last match as part of Paris Saint-Germain and his legacy continues to resonate. While sports icons before him like Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi showed the value of branding, Beckham took it a step further by showing a sensitive side to the sports hero.

His soccer career, the marriage to Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) and the arrival of their four children, along with sponsorship deals with Adidas, Samsung, Pepsi, Gillette and H&M, brought Beckham to the front and center of international pop culture.

Is it possible that his presence has helped the LGBT sports movement?

Without standing up and calling himself a straight sports ally, did he further the public opinion of acceptance for LGBT athletes? Did his brand change the long-standing perception of masculinity in sports?

Yes, on all counts.

When Beckham began his career as a professional soccer player in 1992 at age 17 for Manchester United, the sport was known for its harsh and often hostile players such as Paul Gascoigne, also known as Gazza, who played from 1985 to 2004. He was a spectacular player defined by his off-field antics which included misbehaving in press conferences, public intoxication, temper tantrums and spousal abuse. Gascoigne’s outrageous behavior delighted soccer fans.

Enter David Beckham whose polished looks, good boy image and sensitivity coupled with his athleticism, toughness and sportsmanship ushered in a new perception of what kind of man can be successful in the jock culture of athletics.

Truett Vaigneur is a professor at City University of New York and was the producer of the educational film “The University Pool,” which explored the experiences of three former college athletes and the stigma of being gay in the jock culture of university athleticism. Vaigneur has also done extensive research for presentations at conferences and for academic journals on identity formation and masculinity in sports.

“David Beckham’s presence stimulated a new breed of athletes that are OK with showing a sensitive side,” Vaigneur says. “The masculine presentation of an athlete is fading and it is becoming OK to show personality traits that were once perceived as weakness.”

Vaigneur goes on to say, “Beckham’s image was protected by his heterosexuality; the fact that he wore a ponytail and modeled underwear brought about assimilation in the culture of sports. Any positive shift in the perception of what makes an athlete, whether they are gay or straight, is going to help the culture of athletics.”

During Beckham’s soccer career, the media often focused on the fact that he was a doting family man. He even cited the need to spend more time with his family as one of the factors for the timing of his retirement. He sometimes missed media events to stay home with his kids.

As for the impact on the LGBT sports community, there seems to be a blurring of the lines when it comes to defining an athlete. More and more straight athletes are stepping forward in support of accepting anyone who wants to play.

“Gay athletes don’t want to be called gay athletes, they want to be called athletes,” Vaigneur says. “We have approached a level in gay culture where gay men can stand up and say, ‘I am a man, not a gay man.’”