Press Release: The Beckham Experiment by Grant Wahl
NOW IN PAPERBACK: THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER UPDATED WITH A NEW AFTERWORD CHRONICLING THE BIGGEST MOMENTS FROM THE 2009 GALAXY SEASON AND THE IMPACT OF BECKHAM’S INJURY ON THE WORLD CUP
THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT
How the World’s Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America
By Grant Wahl
“Compelling…superb…the prose soars.” —Los Angeles Times
“Sharply reported…In the wake of Mr. Wahl’s highly readable book, both Messrs. Beckham and Donovan have reputations on the line.” —Wall Street Journal
“Grant Wahl, the country’s best writer on the sport, may even convince all those who played soccer as kids to remember why they loved the game.”
—Frank Deford, author of The Entitled: A Tale of Modern Baseball
“Extraordinary….a gripping tale.” —Franklin Foer
In the summer of 2007, David Beckham left the comfort and security of European soccer, where he had become a global icon, and embarked on a new and risky adventure in the United States. His goals were to increase the popularity of soccer in the U.S. and to raise his own profile in the country as well. Fully updated to incorporate surprising revelations from the 2009 season, including Landon Donovan’s reactions to Beckham’s recent injury which will keep him from playing in the World Cup next month, THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT: How the World’s Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America (Three Rivers Press; on sale June 1, 2010; $15.00; paperback), peers inside the L.A. Galaxy locker room and front office to reveal the truth about David Beckham’s trials in America. With unprecedented access to the Galaxy and one-on-one interviews with Beckham, veteran Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl presents a no-holds-barred account (timed to coincide with the start of the World Cup), of ego clashes and epic winless streaks, rivalries and resentments, big gambles and great expectations, cultural and class collisions, and ultimately the volatile mix of celebrity and professional sports.
Beginning with Beckham’s surprise signing with the Galaxy in January 2007, Wahl provides a detailed account of Beckham’s aspirations and worries about his American adventure, his interactions with Galaxy teammates making as little as $12,900 a year, his icy relationships with Galaxy star Landon Donovan and former team president Alexi Lalas, and the story of how Beckham’s management company, 19 Entertainment—led by American Idol creator Simon Fuller—staged a shadow takeover of the Galaxy beginning in the fall of 2007.
THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT is not only about the behind-the-scenes drama of Beckham’s time in the U.S. In a one-on-one interview with Wahl, Beckham dissects all the elements and thoughts that go into one of his trademark bending free-kick goals. Beckham also discusses his relationships with his wife, Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, and with Tom Cruise.
No American journalist has had more access to Beckham over the years than Wahl, who spent two years following Beckham and the Galaxy across the United States. Explosive and rigorously reported in hardcover, instant bestseller THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT shocked the sports world, ignited a media firestorm, and established itself as the definitive book on the toxic mixing of sports, business, and celebrity.
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About the Author: In twelve years at Sports Illustrated, senior writer Grant Wahl has written thirty-one cover stories and more than two hundred articles while covering five World Cups, three Olympics, and twelve NCAA basketball tournaments. Wahl has won four Magazine Story of the Year awards given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Céline.
The Beckham Experiment:
How the World’s Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America
By Grant Wahl
Three Rivers Press
On Sale June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-40859-4
$15.00, Paperback
For more information about THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT or to schedule an interview with Grant Wahl, please contact Caroline Sill at 212-782-8943 or csill@randomhouse.com.
