It used to be that David Beckham got whatever he wanted. Well, check that. David Beckham got whatever he wanted as long as England manager Fabio Capello said it was OK. But if news that Beckham's proposed loan move to EPL side Tottenham has fallen through ends up being the end of this saga -- the story changes by the hour, it seems, with the latest news suggesting another chapter may be written -- it's clear that MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy have found their collective backbone. At last.

Reports out of England state that the proposed deal fell apart over "insurance issues," and Beckham is now reduced to having a three-week training stint with Spurs instead. Beckham's previous loan, with Italian side AC Milan, ended in March 2010 with him rupturing his Achilles tendon, causing him to miss all but the last 10 games of the MLS campaign. Kudos, then, to the Galaxy for finally having the guts to say no to the Englishman after he had pretty much done as he wished since arriving in the U.S. in 2007.

[+] Enlarge Victor Decolongon/Getty Images David Beckham has helped raise the league's credibility, according to Garber.

Granted, it's tempting to think that L.A.'s spine is not fully formed. Had it been, L.A. management would have simply told Beckham no from the beginning. But I suspect that this is a clever bit of backroom dealing on the part of the Galaxy. Had they rejected Beckham's desires outright, they risked alienating him for the entire last year of his contract. Now they have at least given the appearance of trying to satisfy his wishes. And finally, they will also be in a position to make money because Beckham is actually on the field, rather than just being on the roster, something that hasn't happened enough during the Englishman's tenure in MLS

But while the Galaxy have come out of this episode with their reputation enhanced, the same can't be said of Beckham. Since arriving in the U.S., he has appeared for the Galaxy in just 57 out of a possible 115 league and playoff matches. Compare that to the 55 combined appearances Beckham has made for England and AC Milan in that same period, and it's clear that his priorities are anywhere but with the team he is contractually obligated to play for.

This point is reinforced when you contrast Beckham's behavior with that of New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry. Reports out of France have revealed that Henry has been training with Arsenal since the end of the MLS season. Clearly, all of this has been done on the down-low. No mention of playing in EPL or Champions League games, nor has Henry -- who it should be remembered represented France at the last World Cup -- made any noise about trying to get back on the French national team. In this case, a training stint really is just that, with Henry not feeling the need to call attention to himself.

And therein lies the real problem for Beckham. Like many athletes, he is addicted to the limelight, which by itself is no crime. But it is for precisely this reason that he should never have come to MLS in the first place. As it stands now, Beckham's continued desire to be elsewhere has grown old and tired. MLS still loves the money Beckham provides, but the hit to the league's credibility has made the investment a break-even proposition at best.

There is now less than a year left until Beckham's contract expires. When that day comes, I suspect that MLS will be better off, especially now that its backbone is firmly in place.

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN.com. He is also the author of "Soccer's Most Wanted II: The Top 10 Book of More Glorious Goals, Superb Saves and Fantastic Free-Kicks." He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com.