The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America

by Grant Wahl In 2007, David Beckham shocked the world when he signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Under the direction of his manager, Simon Fuller, the mastermind behind American Idol and the Spice Girls, Beckham was ready, as Fuller put it, to earn his stripes Stateside. Could he pull off what no player had ever accomplished (including Pele in the 1970s) and transform soccer into one of the most popular spectator sports in America? With unprecedented access to the Galaxy and one-on-one interviews with Beckham, veteran Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl focuses on the inner circle of the experiment: Beckham, Galaxy leading scorer Landon Donovan, Simon Fuller, controversial former coach Ruud Gullit, outspoken former Galaxy president Alexi Lalas, and Mrs. Victoria Posh Spice Beckham. Wahl takes readers behind the scenes, on the road with the team and inside the locker room, to reveal just what happened on and off the field. We find out what his teammates really think of their superstar captain, who was calling the shots behind the scenes, how Beckham's management conducted a shadow takeover of the Galaxy organization, and if the team plans to embrace him or not when he returns from AC Milan for the 2009 season. The Beckham Experiment is a no-holds-barred account 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. 304 pages. Pub: 2009