Grant Wahl is unequivocally one of the most iconic soccer reporters in the history of the United States. His untimely passing during the 2022 World Cup brought in countless memories and tributes from fellow soccer reporters. Working for Sports Illustrated, Grant Wahl assembled an impressive collection of stories. Many of those were in-depth looks at American soccer.
He oversaw the rapid rise of Major League Soccer and its subsequent expansion. Likewise, Grant Wahl regularly provided unrivaled coverage of the United States Men’s National Team. However, his work generally split among different publications. Those include Sports Illustrated and Fútbol with Grant Wahl, which was his newsletter with Substack. Wahl had the ability to write in different themes and to different types of audiences. Stories could be in-depth looks at social issues in soccer or they could be quick-hitting news stories.
Now, Grant Wahl has a new book titled ‘World Class‘ coming out that puts together some of the most iconic stories from his vaunted career. That includes stories documenting some of the brightest young stars across American sport. Notably, Grant Wahl did more than cover soccer during his time with Sports Illustrated.
World Class is now available for preorder via Amazon. Readers will be able to receive the book when it comes out on June 4. It will serve as a lasting memory for one of the best American sports journalists of a generation.
Stories abound in new Grant Wahl book
With Grant Wahl writing the stories of so many historic sporting figures, the list of stories to feature in this new book are broad.
For example, Grant Wahl documented the rise of Landon Donovan to be one of the most iconic players in American soccer history. With so much access to the USMNT and Major League Soccer, Wahl often had close contact with Donovan during his time as a player. Likewise, the writer had an early eye on some of the most iconic USWNT stars. The book will have in-depth looks at Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach well before they became the most integral parts of Women’s World Cup teams that had immense success.
Not each of the stories are about individual players or coaches. Grant Wahl captured the cultures of soccer in places like Buenos Aires or Barcelona. The book’s description even mentions “the dusty sandlots of Nacogdoches, Texas,” which is an homage to Clint Dempsey and his upbringing. Wahl will have stories about the first-hand accounts of teams lifting trophies.
More than just soccer
Wahl did have a major focus on soccer. Yet, it was more than just that. One of Grant Wahl’s standout stories was the headline story about LeBron James before he became the NBA’s leading scorer of all time. The story helped put James on the map as the story’s front-page image read ‘The Chosen One.’
“For me, Grant’s Sports Illustrated cover story was the moment everything started,” LeBron James said. “The time that we shared when I was in high school for that story was pretty special for myself and my family. Grant was always energetic, always had a smile on his face, and always wanted to do right by his interview subjects. This collection of Grant’s work is a great testament to not only what he did when he was here, but what he’s still doing to impact others.”
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
