Grant Wahl's The Beckham Experiment is an incredible behind the scenes look at Beckham - the brand, MLS - the struggling US soccer league - and is a tale of footie adventure in the US recounted through Wahl's amazing unprecedented access to players, coaches, staff, and handlers.
Wahl is in the locker rooms, on the field, in the hotel room lobbies, at dinners, at parties- you name it - but his work is more than just an inside look at Beckham's brief stay in the US. Wahl navigates the precarious tightrope that is soccer snobbery - the "arrogance" that Europeans may have when interacting with their American gumshoe counterparts in this sport - and his depiction of culture shock - both on and off the field - is highly entertaining:
Gullit flagged down Galaxy press officer Justin Pearson. "Justin, could you get me an espresso, please?" When Pearson returned from the cafe, he had bad news: They didn't serve espresso. Gullit frowned. He wasn't in Europe anymore.
The Galaxy's former European stars - Abel Xavier, Beckham, and manager Ruud Gullit must learn to live in a foreign world. And Wahl showcases this difficulty in adaptation.
But by no means is this a "the joke's on Beckham" or his European entourage type of book.
Wahl walks the reader through it all - but he always comes back to that European / American clash - and even some of that ego and snobbery - which we touched upon last week when Obama visited Brazil.
If the excellent book has one fault - it's the book's length - Wahl is redundant at times as he hammers home his points.
But you can't blame the author for making sure you understand what he witnessed first hand.
For the fan of Major League soccer, Beckham as a brand, or even the US Men's National Team, this is a must read, highly entertaining work.
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