By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

“Eleven Men Out” (here!/Regent/Liberation)—A few athletes on U.S. sports teams, from baseball to basketball to football, have come out as gay over the years. In more recent times, such an event has come to create less drama than it would have in the past. Apparently professional soccer players in Iceland still have a long way to go when it comes to accepting a gay teammate, as we are led to believe in the drama “Eleven Men Out.”

While being interviewed for a story in a magazine, Ottar (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), the star of the Reykjavik football team comes out, landing him on the cover of the magazine and in hot water with his teammates and coach, who also happens to be his father. Divorced from the former beauty queen Gugga (Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir) and trying to be a loving father to son Maggi (Arnmundur Ernst Björnsson), Ottar attempts to sort out his personal life, which includes exploring his sexuality, being a good parent, being a good son, all the while maintaining his status as a star athlete. Friends Pétur (Helgi Björnsson) and Lára (Björk Jakobsdóttir) introduce Ottar to a team of amateur players, most of whom are gay, and soon he’s back on the playing field, with varying results. Completely lacking the sense of humor and compassion of “Guys and Balls,” a German gay soccer movie that precedes it, “Eleven Men Out,” doesn’t really add up to much, not even tasty eye candy. DVD bonus features include here! news footage of gay sporting events and athletes.

David Beckham: Life of an Icon (Liberation/Starz)—The life story, so far, of millionaire football (a.k.a. soccer) phenomenon, fashion icon and global celebrity David Beckham is told in this 77 minutes documentary.

Declared to be the most famous sportsman on the planet, Beckham’s romance with football began at an early age, encouraged by his parents. His relationship with the Manchester United team, which began when he was 14, helped turn the media spotlight on him, and it hasn’t gone dark since then. The great new hope for English football eventually joined M.U. at age 16 and has gone on to prove his abilities as a top footballer. But since 1997, when he met Victoria Adams (a.k.a. Posh Spice), the woman who would go on to become his wife, his profile in the media has risen even higher.

In spite of the fact that he is uncomfortable with all of the hysteria and clamors for privacy, it hasn’t stopped him from courting publicity. His unique fashion sense has, of course, made him a fashion icon. A mere haircut generates media column inches. And his unambiguously homoerotic style has also made him a gay icon, a status with which he his quite comfortable. Ultimately, this doc is aimed towards football fans, and through interviews with school friends, a sports agency manager, teammates, journalists and even Beckham himself, the football phenomenon and his love of the game, the highs and the lows, is celebrated. DVD bonus features include an extended interview and more about “brand Beckham.”