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World Class: Purpose, Passion, and the Pursuit of Greatness On and Off the Field
The definitive collection of beloved late journalist Grant Wahl’s work, and a masterclass in the art of sportswriting
After Grant Wahl died of an aortic aneurysm at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, collapsing in his press seat during a quarterfinal match, tributes to Wahl poured in from around the globe. Wahl was beloved for good reason—he was kind, generous, and unflinching in the face of injustice. He was also clearly one of the best journalists covering sports of his generation.
Spanning four decades of storytelling, World Class collects for the first time the finest work of Grant Wahl, from his college thesis to his twenty-five years of reporting at Sports Illustrated to his deeply personal work for Fútbol with Grant Wahl for Substack. Grant was the multi-tool modern clear and direct; able to write long, short, or in between; cosmopolitan; socially aware. He never talked down to the reader but at the same time refused to sell them short. He was keen to shed light and unafraid of the heat his work might generate.
Arranged thematically, World Class demonstrates how Grant’s career aligned with the evolution of sportswriting. Included are explorations of soccer subcultures from F.C. Barcelona to the dusty sandlots of Nacogdoches, Texas, as well as accounts of trophy lifts that have a first-draft-of-history definitiveness. Some pieces capture prodigies early in their careers, like LeBron James and Christian Pulisic; others lift the voices of the women athletes to whom Wahl paid early attention—stars like Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe. The book showcases the daring and important positions Wahl took in Qatar in the weeks before he died, supporting migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people.
More than a collection of Grant Wahl's best work, World Class is a portrait of a journalist at the height of his powers, always evolving with the times, revealed by the stories he found and the unflinching way he told them.
After Grant Wahl died of an aortic aneurysm at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, collapsing in his press seat during a quarterfinal match, tributes to Wahl poured in from around the globe. Wahl was beloved for good reason—he was kind, generous, and unflinching in the face of injustice. He was also clearly one of the best journalists covering sports of his generation.
Spanning four decades of storytelling, World Class collects for the first time the finest work of Grant Wahl, from his college thesis to his twenty-five years of reporting at Sports Illustrated to his deeply personal work for Fútbol with Grant Wahl for Substack. Grant was the multi-tool modern clear and direct; able to write long, short, or in between; cosmopolitan; socially aware. He never talked down to the reader but at the same time refused to sell them short. He was keen to shed light and unafraid of the heat his work might generate.
Arranged thematically, World Class demonstrates how Grant’s career aligned with the evolution of sportswriting. Included are explorations of soccer subcultures from F.C. Barcelona to the dusty sandlots of Nacogdoches, Texas, as well as accounts of trophy lifts that have a first-draft-of-history definitiveness. Some pieces capture prodigies early in their careers, like LeBron James and Christian Pulisic; others lift the voices of the women athletes to whom Wahl paid early attention—stars like Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe. The book showcases the daring and important positions Wahl took in Qatar in the weeks before he died, supporting migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people.
More than a collection of Grant Wahl's best work, World Class is a portrait of a journalist at the height of his powers, always evolving with the times, revealed by the stories he found and the unflinching way he told them.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published June 4, 2024
32 people are currently reading
2218 people want to read
About the author
Grant Wahl
8 books37 followersGRANT WAHL was one of the world’s leading soccer journalists. He joined Sports Illustrated in November 1996 as a reporter and was promoted to senior writer in October 2000. He was also a contributor to Fox Sports television, where he did insider segments, essays, and longform video stories. Wahl’s last book, The Beckham Experiment, was the first soccer book to make the New York Times Best-Seller List.
Photo Credit: Marina Zarya
Photo Credit: Marina Zarya
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 21, 2024
In the last few years I have discovered that I can read in the car. A few times a year, my family takes road trips, and in the past I would stare absentmindedly out the window. On trips longer than ten hours, especially when there are no sports on the radio, this can be problematic, so, on one trip a few years ago, I decided to read. Much to my surprise, I did not get sick, and the game changed; I can read in the car. Because my husband does all the driving, I would not lose my reading time for the day. This week, we took our first road trip of the summer, and I read the entire time. My sports reading colleague recently selected World Class, and, because I have a penchant for journalistic essays, I knew it would be a must read for myself as well. Grant Wahl suffered an aortic aneurysm while at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He had been at the peak of his writing career and the soccer and journalistic communities the world over felt his loss. Edited by Wahl’s former colleagues and forwarded by his wife, World Class is a collection of his top essays. With both the Euro tournament and Copa America upon us, I knew the time was ripe to read a collection of award winning essays about el jogo bonito (beautiful game from Portuguese).
One could say that Grant Wahl embodied a rags to riches story. He came from small town Kansas and knew that his future lay in journalism. At age eight he wrote to Sports Illustrated, telling anyone who would listen that he would be on the staff one day. For his efforts, he received a response telling him to keep it up. Grant’s mother Helen valued magazines over video games, so there were always stacks of magazines on the Wahl family supper table. Grant and his brother Eric became exposed to more news and current events than the majority of adults, and, through this exposure, Grant realized that his future lay beyond the corn fields of Kansas. Kansas suited his parents well: they both attended the university and continued the family roots there. Helen’s claim to fame is that she had been a classmate of Wilt Chamberlain, and legend has it that she had been a quality athlete back in the era before Title IX when no opportunities existed for her. As a parent, she valued education and encouraged her sons to dream big. Grant would follow his journalistic pursuit to Princeton where he would study under master writers Gloria Emerson and David Remnick. It was also at Princeton that he met up and coming soccer coach Bob Bradley, and the two men would begin a friendship that kindled Grant’s passion as a soccer fan, leading to a career where he would focus on bringing soccer to the forefront of American sports’ journalism.
Almost immediately after graduating from Princeton, Grant joined the staff at Sports Illustrated. In 1996, soccer was hardly a blip on the United Stares sports radar. Yes, the nation hosted the 1994 men’s World Cup, but this was the 1990s. Basketball thanks to Michael Jordan was king, with the American variety of football close behind. After a strike, baseball enjoyed a renaissance thanks to Cal Ripken, Jr breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak. It was not until the 1999 Women’s World Cup that soccer took off in the United States. By then Title IX had come of age and girls saw Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and company, and wanted to be next. By then Wahl had adopted Argentina as his second country and had grown to love all aspects of the game. Sports Illustrated was not ready for the soccer to take over; in the early years Wahl had been relegated to writing about college basketball. He loved that sport as well and provided excellent copy, as seen in this collection; however, his true passion was soccer. He traveled the world and studied all aspects of the game. I pitched this book to my baseball group noting that Wahl was as impassioned about soccer as we are about baseball, and the stories are a reflection of his love for the game. All sports fans who love a game as he did would enjoy reading this collection.
While Wahl knew the intricacies of soccer worldwide thanks to friendships he cultivated all over the world, his real passion was human rights. He enjoyed covering the women’s National team more so than the men, as though it appeared, and supported these women in their quest for equal playing conditions and pay. The 2015 World Cup was played on artificial turf in Canada; women’s stars such as Abby Wambach stated this would never happen in the men’s tournament. He followed the women’s team through all their equality struggles through the 2019 World Cup as the women demanded equal pay. While I am not a fan of the underlying politics on top of the equal pay, I do think that women and men who play the same game should be compensated equally. It is a work in progress, although I am certain that Wahl would be thrilled that a recent women’s soccer game nearly sold out Wrigley Field. The women got to dress in top notch locker rooms, enjoying the same amenities. I have followed this story but I am certain that Wahl would have provided better copy than the stories available. Aside from equal World Cup pay, this story was a huge step in the right direction for the women’s game. Not that Wahl did not write about the men’s game or men’s sports in general. He interviewed LeBron James while the world superstar was still in high school and followed stars like Messi, Beckham, and Luis Suarez while they were still in the early stages of their careers. All these stories are here, and, needless to say, Wahl lived for covering the World Cup. His love of sport is evident in these stories and a joy to read. Aside from the politics, reading about sports events from a fellow sports lover is what being a sports fan is all about.
There are a number of hot button sports political issues in the news at the moment. From Caitlin Clark polarizing women’s basketball to Bronny James hoping to drafted in basketball to play alongside his father. I wonder how Grant Wahl would view these stories. Likewise with these two major soccer tournaments being played simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic, which would he choose to follow, and which team would he attach himself to. Just this morning, Ukraine won a game in the Euro tournament; I am guessing that that would make for a major story. Most likely, however, Wahl would be following his beloved Argentina on United States’ soil, his two countries merging as one. Wahl’s stories remain available on the web and his podcasts are accessible on YouTube and prime video. The topics sound fascinating and I am sure that I will turn in once these two major tournaments are over. Grant Wahl is another light in the sports world taken too soon. His presence is already long missed.
4+ stars
One could say that Grant Wahl embodied a rags to riches story. He came from small town Kansas and knew that his future lay in journalism. At age eight he wrote to Sports Illustrated, telling anyone who would listen that he would be on the staff one day. For his efforts, he received a response telling him to keep it up. Grant’s mother Helen valued magazines over video games, so there were always stacks of magazines on the Wahl family supper table. Grant and his brother Eric became exposed to more news and current events than the majority of adults, and, through this exposure, Grant realized that his future lay beyond the corn fields of Kansas. Kansas suited his parents well: they both attended the university and continued the family roots there. Helen’s claim to fame is that she had been a classmate of Wilt Chamberlain, and legend has it that she had been a quality athlete back in the era before Title IX when no opportunities existed for her. As a parent, she valued education and encouraged her sons to dream big. Grant would follow his journalistic pursuit to Princeton where he would study under master writers Gloria Emerson and David Remnick. It was also at Princeton that he met up and coming soccer coach Bob Bradley, and the two men would begin a friendship that kindled Grant’s passion as a soccer fan, leading to a career where he would focus on bringing soccer to the forefront of American sports’ journalism.
Almost immediately after graduating from Princeton, Grant joined the staff at Sports Illustrated. In 1996, soccer was hardly a blip on the United Stares sports radar. Yes, the nation hosted the 1994 men’s World Cup, but this was the 1990s. Basketball thanks to Michael Jordan was king, with the American variety of football close behind. After a strike, baseball enjoyed a renaissance thanks to Cal Ripken, Jr breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak. It was not until the 1999 Women’s World Cup that soccer took off in the United States. By then Title IX had come of age and girls saw Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and company, and wanted to be next. By then Wahl had adopted Argentina as his second country and had grown to love all aspects of the game. Sports Illustrated was not ready for the soccer to take over; in the early years Wahl had been relegated to writing about college basketball. He loved that sport as well and provided excellent copy, as seen in this collection; however, his true passion was soccer. He traveled the world and studied all aspects of the game. I pitched this book to my baseball group noting that Wahl was as impassioned about soccer as we are about baseball, and the stories are a reflection of his love for the game. All sports fans who love a game as he did would enjoy reading this collection.
While Wahl knew the intricacies of soccer worldwide thanks to friendships he cultivated all over the world, his real passion was human rights. He enjoyed covering the women’s National team more so than the men, as though it appeared, and supported these women in their quest for equal playing conditions and pay. The 2015 World Cup was played on artificial turf in Canada; women’s stars such as Abby Wambach stated this would never happen in the men’s tournament. He followed the women’s team through all their equality struggles through the 2019 World Cup as the women demanded equal pay. While I am not a fan of the underlying politics on top of the equal pay, I do think that women and men who play the same game should be compensated equally. It is a work in progress, although I am certain that Wahl would be thrilled that a recent women’s soccer game nearly sold out Wrigley Field. The women got to dress in top notch locker rooms, enjoying the same amenities. I have followed this story but I am certain that Wahl would have provided better copy than the stories available. Aside from equal World Cup pay, this story was a huge step in the right direction for the women’s game. Not that Wahl did not write about the men’s game or men’s sports in general. He interviewed LeBron James while the world superstar was still in high school and followed stars like Messi, Beckham, and Luis Suarez while they were still in the early stages of their careers. All these stories are here, and, needless to say, Wahl lived for covering the World Cup. His love of sport is evident in these stories and a joy to read. Aside from the politics, reading about sports events from a fellow sports lover is what being a sports fan is all about.
There are a number of hot button sports political issues in the news at the moment. From Caitlin Clark polarizing women’s basketball to Bronny James hoping to drafted in basketball to play alongside his father. I wonder how Grant Wahl would view these stories. Likewise with these two major soccer tournaments being played simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic, which would he choose to follow, and which team would he attach himself to. Just this morning, Ukraine won a game in the Euro tournament; I am guessing that that would make for a major story. Most likely, however, Wahl would be following his beloved Argentina on United States’ soil, his two countries merging as one. Wahl’s stories remain available on the web and his podcasts are accessible on YouTube and prime video. The topics sound fascinating and I am sure that I will turn in once these two major tournaments are over. Grant Wahl is another light in the sports world taken too soon. His presence is already long missed.
4+ stars
May 13, 2024
When Grant Wahl died suddenly from an aneurysm while covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the entire sports world was in shock and in mourning. He was well known for his passion for writing about soccer and being the voice for those who were not heard. This book is a collection of Wahl’s writing on those topics from many different sources. His best known work was writing for Sports Illustrated, and many of the pieces are from the magazine, but there are also articles from Substack, his college classes and other sources.
What struck me the most about this collection was not the quality, as that was expected to be superior in a collection of Grant Wahl writing. It was not that the topics were varied and not just about soccer and college basketball, the two sports that Wahl covered during his time at Sports Illustrated. It even wasn’t that his articles would often champion causes like social justice for marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ or migrant workers. No, what I really liked about this book and each of the articles was the passion that Wahl put into each article. That was mentioned throughout the book – that a reader could see that Wahl was writing with a purpose. Often, the forward of a book written by a relative or colleague of the author will state this – but in this case, it was absolutely the truth.
There are several powerful pieces scattered throughout the book. One of the best had nothing to do with sports and was a submission of Wahl’s when he was in college. He wrote an account of a person for whom he held great regard – Vietnam War correspondent Gloria Emerson. It was an assignment for a non-fiction writing class, but it was so good and received so much positive feedback that it was kept amongst his other writings. Two others that I believe should be noted are his Substack writings on the conditions faced by workers in Qatar preparing for the 2022 World Cup and his portrait of American teenage soccer player Freddie Adu, who did not live up to the hype given to him during his career in Major League Soccer and is now playing for any European team who will sign him.
One doesn’t have to be a soccer fan to enjoy Wahl’s work on the sport. The same goes for his other pieces in this book – if a reader simply enjoys excellent non-fiction writing in which the passion of the author is clear, then that reader needs to read this book.
I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
What struck me the most about this collection was not the quality, as that was expected to be superior in a collection of Grant Wahl writing. It was not that the topics were varied and not just about soccer and college basketball, the two sports that Wahl covered during his time at Sports Illustrated. It even wasn’t that his articles would often champion causes like social justice for marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ or migrant workers. No, what I really liked about this book and each of the articles was the passion that Wahl put into each article. That was mentioned throughout the book – that a reader could see that Wahl was writing with a purpose. Often, the forward of a book written by a relative or colleague of the author will state this – but in this case, it was absolutely the truth.
There are several powerful pieces scattered throughout the book. One of the best had nothing to do with sports and was a submission of Wahl’s when he was in college. He wrote an account of a person for whom he held great regard – Vietnam War correspondent Gloria Emerson. It was an assignment for a non-fiction writing class, but it was so good and received so much positive feedback that it was kept amongst his other writings. Two others that I believe should be noted are his Substack writings on the conditions faced by workers in Qatar preparing for the 2022 World Cup and his portrait of American teenage soccer player Freddie Adu, who did not live up to the hype given to him during his career in Major League Soccer and is now playing for any European team who will sign him.
One doesn’t have to be a soccer fan to enjoy Wahl’s work on the sport. The same goes for his other pieces in this book – if a reader simply enjoys excellent non-fiction writing in which the passion of the author is clear, then that reader needs to read this book.
I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
March 26, 2024
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to this book.
I want to thank Grant Wahl's family and friends who put this book together. Of course I love sports, but Wahl's writing oozes sincerity and passion for his subject and shows unique perspective inside the human condition which doesn't often come out in sportswriting. For Wahl, sports is the venue but he is mostly a writer and observer of the under-appreciated and under-served. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend to all readers. 4-stars
I want to thank Grant Wahl's family and friends who put this book together. Of course I love sports, but Wahl's writing oozes sincerity and passion for his subject and shows unique perspective inside the human condition which doesn't often come out in sportswriting. For Wahl, sports is the venue but he is mostly a writer and observer of the under-appreciated and under-served. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend to all readers. 4-stars
June 6, 2024
“If you truly love something, you engage in the worst aspects.”
Incredibly massive thank you to Penguin Random House Audio and Ballantine Books for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. As a soccer fan, I can say this was such an incredible read.
Grant Wahl embodied everything that I love about soccer. And while he did write about other sports during his time at Sports Illustrated, it’s the pieces he wrote about soccer that really resonate in my soccer-loving soul.
He knew that sports are political, and he wrote about it. When the 2004 Iraqi men’s national team made a deep run in the Olympics, then-President Bush took credit for their ability to be there. Wahl wrote about this and spoke directly to the players who didn’t want to be associated with Bush’s campaign. He wrote this knowing there would be blowback and he didn’t back down from his reporting. While he could certainly romanticize the game, he never stopped calling out the inherent corruption.
In 2011, he launched a failed bid to become FIFA President after failing to earn an endorsement from a football association. But he knew how deep the corruption was under Sepp Blatter and his bid ended up having a lasting effect on FIFA. He wrote on the forced labor in Qatar leading up to the 2022 World Cup, knowing he would be in the country to cover it. He also wore a Pride shirt to the USMNT’s first match in Qatar, where he was detained even though attendees were assured it would be acceptable.
The book ends with Wahl’s last entry on his Substack which was shortly after his detainment for the Pride shirt, entitled “They Just Don’t Care.” It’s such a visceral reminder of how important Wahl was to the soccer world, as he criticized Qatari leaders for their apathy towards the deaths of migrant workers and how the country lacked LGBTQ+ rights.
I will be purchasing a physical copy as Wahl’s words are incomparable, and if you want to learn more about him and his work, I can’t recommend this enough. He was such an incredible writer, and his commentary will continue to be missed.
Incredibly massive thank you to Penguin Random House Audio and Ballantine Books for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. As a soccer fan, I can say this was such an incredible read.
Grant Wahl embodied everything that I love about soccer. And while he did write about other sports during his time at Sports Illustrated, it’s the pieces he wrote about soccer that really resonate in my soccer-loving soul.
He knew that sports are political, and he wrote about it. When the 2004 Iraqi men’s national team made a deep run in the Olympics, then-President Bush took credit for their ability to be there. Wahl wrote about this and spoke directly to the players who didn’t want to be associated with Bush’s campaign. He wrote this knowing there would be blowback and he didn’t back down from his reporting. While he could certainly romanticize the game, he never stopped calling out the inherent corruption.
In 2011, he launched a failed bid to become FIFA President after failing to earn an endorsement from a football association. But he knew how deep the corruption was under Sepp Blatter and his bid ended up having a lasting effect on FIFA. He wrote on the forced labor in Qatar leading up to the 2022 World Cup, knowing he would be in the country to cover it. He also wore a Pride shirt to the USMNT’s first match in Qatar, where he was detained even though attendees were assured it would be acceptable.
The book ends with Wahl’s last entry on his Substack which was shortly after his detainment for the Pride shirt, entitled “They Just Don’t Care.” It’s such a visceral reminder of how important Wahl was to the soccer world, as he criticized Qatari leaders for their apathy towards the deaths of migrant workers and how the country lacked LGBTQ+ rights.
I will be purchasing a physical copy as Wahl’s words are incomparable, and if you want to learn more about him and his work, I can’t recommend this enough. He was such an incredible writer, and his commentary will continue to be missed.
August 14, 2025
Man I forgot he had so many bangers. What a legend of the game.
February 25, 2025
As a long-time fan of Grant Wahl's writing, I enjoyed reading (and in many cases re-reading) the pieces included in this collection. It was interesting to learn more about his background, particularly the influence of Gloria Emerson. I had never heard of her, as her work related to Vietnam was published while I was still a child. I can see why Grant went on to write about more than just sports even while writing about sports.
This book also made me nostalgic for the many years when Thursday's mail brought me the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. There are plenty of advantages to today's information age, but one of the things I miss is curling up with my favorite magazine back in its glory days.
This book also made me nostalgic for the many years when Thursday's mail brought me the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. There are plenty of advantages to today's information age, but one of the things I miss is curling up with my favorite magazine back in its glory days.
June 9, 2025
This book likely requires a fondness for soccer as well as Grant Wahl's writing but it is quite excellent and anyone who loves great sports writing will enjoy these excerpts from Wahl's body of work. Wahl was the preeminent soccer journalist of his time and brought the beautiful game to millions of readers. His writing is extraordinary and when he dropped dead unexpectedly while covering the Qatar World Cup millions mourned the journalist who at such a young age had brought his love of the sport to so many.
May 8, 2024
A collection of essays from Grant Wahl, the long-time sports journalist who died while reporting from Qatar during the 2022 World Cup. The collection shows the breadth of his interest - lots of soccer, which was a particular passion, but other sports as well. Profiles of Michelle Akers, Freddy Adu, Roy Williams, and the search for basketball's next "big men" in Africa were standouts for me. Thanks to Goodreads and publisher Penguin Random House for the ARC.
June 10, 2024
Very good read.
July 11, 2024
This collection showcases Grant Wahl at the height of his storytelling and journalistic powers at Sports Illustrated and his own website. A wonderful tribute to a man gone too soon.
July 17, 2024
Such a good writer. Very enlightening.
February 12, 2025
Enjoyed this. It was nice to switch it up the genre. Such a lovely book and just shows how much the sports world misses Grant’s stories.
September 17, 2025
A thoughtful collection of passionate and purposeful pieces which make me miss him and his potential even more.
April 27, 2025
Read in two major stints and I learned a lot. A must read for any sports fan, but particularly soccer fans.
June 8, 2024
A great collection of columns from the writer who did more to introduce people in this country to the pleasures of soccer than anyone who comes to mind. Some favorites are found here... writing on Abby Wambach and "purple haired lesbian goddess" Megan Rapinoe comes to mind. There is a sadness to this volume, not only because the author died so young, but because the type of writing on display here has gradually disappeared into reporting that is mostly lists and click bait.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews