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

by Grant Wahl

In 2007, David Beckham, the golden boy of soccer, shocked the international sports world when he signed a five-year contract with an American team, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Under the direction of his manager, Simon Fuller, the mastermind behind American Idol and the Spice Girls, Beckham was ready for a monumental challenge and a risky adventure–ready, as Fuller put it, to earn his stripes Stateside. Could he pull off what no player had ever accomplished (including Pelé in the 1970s) and transform soccer into one of the most popular spectator sports in America? It was a bold failure meant a team, a league, a sport, and Beckham himself might miss their chance to hit primetime in the U.S.

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 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 when the most renowned player in the world left the glamour of European soccer to play in a country that has yet to fully embrace the sport. 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. As Beckham embarks on his third season with the Galaxy, the question even for a player the caliber of David Beckham, are some goals out of reach?

Genres: Sports, Soccer, Nonfiction, Football, Biography, British Literature, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2009

About the author

GRANT 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

Reviews

[John Harney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wahl has produced an interesting, well written and balanced account of David Beckham's self-proclaimed proselytizing mission on behalf of the most popular sport in the world in the one nation that refuses to accept it: America.

This book is as enlightening in its description of the inner workings of Major League Soccer as it is in the journey undertaken by Beckham, the corporate interests behind his transfer to the LA Galaxy, and his various minders.

The author, commendably in my view, strives to remain even-handed, and does his best not to apportion blame for a project that has seen precious little success. Despite this, the reader will be left in little doubt of where blame can most likely be apportioned.

As a European (association) football fan living in America, I wasn't sure what to expect from an American author with a pedigree in covering basketball as well as the beautiful game. Wahl dispelled all of my misgivings with his engaging writing and his knowledge of the game.

[Seonghyun Cho · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an LA Galaxy and David Beckham hater this warmed my heart

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm generally not into "tell-all" books about celebrities. I always figure that their private lives really aren't any of my business. But this book was really interesting in that it got into the inner workings of the LA Galaxy and what the team and entire organization went through when they signed Beckham. It also got into the inner workings of Major League Soccer and all the challenges it faces. I had no clue about any of it--which I guess is part of MLS's problems.

The only thing I really couldn't stand about the book was that, while reading it, I had a soundtrack of Spice Girls songs running through my head damned near the entire time. And I didn't even know I knew any Spice Girls songs.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea why I read this. So self-important and self-absorbed. Woof.

[Ryan Hock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. It seems as though the writer has something against Beckham but who knows.

[Dylan King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rest in peace, Grant, whose amazing coverage of soccer in America when it was almost impossible to find is almost single-handedly responsible for my love of the beautiful game.

——————

The Beckham Experiment is a fascinating book. On the surface, it is about David Beckham coming to America, joining the LA Galaxy and playing in Major League Soccer (MLS). But in reality, the book is about so many things including: the growth of MLS as a whole; trying to make the Galaxy a standout “SuperClub” in MLS ala a European one like Manchester United or Real Madrid (Beckham’s two prior clubs); Beckham the brand vs. Beckham the player; the diehard American soccer players who were Beckham’s teammates who played for not much more than the love of the game; and the power play between two alpha dogs (Beckham and Landon Donovan) on a team that still lacked leadership. But the ultimate reason why the book is so fascinating is because so many mistakes were made, so many opportunities were lost, and so many people were willing to complain to the author about someone or something rather than deal with an issue head on.

In some ways the author, Grant Wahl, has an advantage writing about soccer and about MLS specifically. In no other major American sport would Wahl have had such access to the people involved. Wahl, Sports Illustrated’s senior soccer writer, followed the Experiment for two years from Beckham’s momentous signing in 2007, through the end of the 2008 season. In the process, Wahl often spoke directly with Tim Leiweke, CEO of AEG, the entertainment conglomerate which owns the Galaxy; Alexi Lalas, former US national team star player and the Galaxy GM; Landon Donovan, perhaps the best US soccer player to date and the Galaxy’s best player as well as numerous other Galaxy players and coaches.

Notably absent from that list was anyone associated with Beckham directly, much less Beckham himself. And that was telling in more ways than one. Beckham’s handlers included Simon Fuller, the owner of 19 Entertainment, which not coincidentally also created the Spice Girls, and Terry Byrne, Beckham’s long-time friend and eventually a paid consultant for the Galaxy. Beckham’s posse nonetheless quickly put their handprints all over the Galaxy, and most likely did not speak openly with the media so their power play would not get any publicity. Soon after Beckham arrived in LA, Byrne got his consultancy. After a poor 2007 season, Byrne picks a new head coach (against Lalas’s wishes, effectively cutting him off at the knees) in Ruud Gullit, a Dutchman who was a disaster and helped lead to the downfall of the 2008 season. Meanwhile, AEG announces a Spice Girls reunion tour that would tour mostly through AEG-owned arenas around the world. Lastly, and most importantly, Team Beckham strong-arms the captain’s armband from Donovan so Beckham can have it. The forced coup d’état of the captaincy was only the beginning of what would become a very dysfunctional locker room.

Even if everything was working well behind the scenes, the machinations of MLS and the worlds colliding aspect of a world-wide soccer star dropping into an almost working-class soccer league would be fraught with potential potholes. Everything starts off on the wrong foot, literally, since Beckham starts his Galaxy career with a bum ankle which is hurt much worse than either anyone realizes or wants to admit. Because Beckham was such a marketable commodity, the Galaxy play a brutal 2007 schedule that only exacerbates the injury and eventually forces Beckham to sit out the last portion of the season, which is devastating for everyone involved. When the coaching change to start the 2008 season proves to be a disaster, the season goes downhill precipitously thereafter and by all accounts Beckham checks out and spends more time trying to get the caps (games played) record for the England national team and negotiating a loan with AC Milan.

The low point is when Beckham, suspended from playing in an important game late in the 2008 season because of a red card, nonetheless takes off to London to promote a cologne and then goes to Beijing to kick a soccer ball off a double-decker bus during the closing Olympic ceremonies (to signal the torch passing to London for 2012). Keeping the Beckham Brand alive and well was more important than sitting on a bench in Houston to root on his teammates in an important game.

All this helps contribute to a lot of finger pointing and name calling. Wahl does a good job of portraying everyone involved in well-rounded fashion, but in the end no high-profile person associated with the Experiment comes off well. Perhaps the two who come off the worst are Beckham and Donovan. Beckham does, because he is someone who let other people do his dirty work (ask for the captaincy, hire a new hand-picked coach) and either he was party to these machinations, which makes him passive-aggressively evil, or he was completely oblivious and that makes him simply a dunce. Then when Beckham goes on loan to AC Milan (unbeknownst to anyone at the Galaxy until the deal was practically done) he claims he wants to stay in the Italian league and not return to the Galaxy, after saying everything to the contrary while in LA.

Donovan comes across as cowardly because he consistently calls out Beckham for being a bad teammate, a bad captain, having alligator arms at team dinners, but he does so to Wahl, never Beckham. In fact, once the book came out, it created a bit of a circus since Donovan’s comments about Beckham were not known until the book was published. The book’s release was purposely timed for when Beckham returned to the Galaxy midway through the 2009 season after the end of the Italian Serie A season. Once published, the book forced a summit between the two star players so they could air their grievances.

But for the soccer fan, the book is also great because you get to know some of the guys who make up the nuts and bolts of MLS, guys (mostly Americans) who played college soccer and play for practically minimum wage (rookies make less than $13,000 a year) because they love the sport so much. Getting to know these guys is uplifting and provides a nice counterweight to all the immature power plays at the higher levels. Wahl obviously has a devotion to the sport and his game recollections are tremendous and if nothing else, he makes it clear that Beckham and Donovan are both world-class players when at the top of their game. A true delight of a book for any soccer fan in more ways than one.

[Robert Ritzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beckham Experiment is a fascinating book. On the surface, it is about David Beckham coming to America, joining the LA Galaxy and playing in Major League Soccer (MLS). But in reality, the book is about so many things including: the growth of MLS as a whole; trying to make the Galaxy a standout “SuperClub” in MLS ala a European one like Manchester United or Real Madrid (Beckham’s two prior clubs); Beckham the brand vs. Beckham the player; the diehard American soccer players who were Beckham’s teammates who played for not much more than the love of the game; and the power play between two alpha dogs (Beckham and Landon Donovan) on a team that still lacked leadership. But the ultimate reason why the book is so fascinating is because so many mistakes were made, so many opportunities were lost, and so many people were willing to complain to the author about someone or something rather than deal with an issue head on.

In some ways the author, Grant Wahl, has an advantage writing about soccer and about MLS specifically. In no other major American sport would Wahl have had such access to the people involved. Wahl, Sports Illustrated’s senior soccer writer, followed the Experiment for two years from Beckham’s momentous signing in 2007, through the end of the 2008 season. In the process, Wahl often spoke directly with Tim Leiweke, CEO of AEG, the entertainment conglomerate which owns the Galaxy; Alexi Lalas, former US national team star player and the Galaxy GM; Landon Donovan, perhaps the best US soccer player to date and the Galaxy’s best player as well as numerous other Galaxy players and coaches.

Notably absent from that list was anyone associated with Beckham directly, much less Beckham himself. And that was telling in more ways than one. Beckham’s handlers included Simon Fuller, the owner of 19 Entertainment, which not coincidentally also created the Spice Girls, and Terry Byrne, Beckham’s long-time friend and eventually a paid consultant for the Galaxy. Beckham’s posse nonetheless quickly put their handprints all over the Galaxy, and most likely did not speak openly with the media so their power play would not get any publicity. Soon after Beckham arrived in LA, Byrne got his consultancy. After a poor 2007 season, Byrne picks a new head coach (against Lalas’s wishes, effectively cutting him off at the knees) in Ruud Gullit, a Dutchman who was a disaster and helped lead to the downfall of the 2008 season. Meanwhile, AEG announces a Spice Girls reunion tour that would tour mostly through AEG-owned arenas around the world. Lastly, and most importantly, Team Beckham strong-arms the captain’s armband from Donovan so Beckham can have it. The forced coup d’état of the captaincy was only the beginning of what would become a very dysfunctional locker room.

Even if everything was working well behind the scenes, the machinations of MLS and the worlds colliding aspect of a world-wide soccer star dropping into an almost working-class soccer league would be fraught with potential potholes. Everything starts off on the wrong foot, literally, since Beckham starts his Galaxy career with a bum ankle which is hurt much worse than either anyone realizes or wants to admit. Because Beckham was such a marketable commodity, the Galaxy play a brutal 2007 schedule that only exacerbates the injury and eventually forces Beckham to sit out the last portion of the season, which is devastating for everyone involved. When the coaching change to start the 2008 season proves to be a disaster, the season goes downhill precipitously thereafter and by all accounts Beckham checks out and spends more time trying to get the caps (games played) record for the England national team and negotiating a loan with AC Milan.

The low point is when Beckham, suspended from playing in an important game late in the 2008 season because of a red card, nonetheless takes off to London to promote a cologne and then goes to Beijing to kick a soccer ball off a double-decker bus during the closing Olympic ceremonies (to signal the torch passing to London for 2012). Keeping the Beckham Brand alive and well was more important than sitting on a bench in Houston to root on his teammates in an important game.

All this helps contribute to a lot of finger pointing and name calling. Wahl does a good job of portraying everyone involved in well-rounded fashion, but in the end no high-profile person associated with the Experiment comes off well. Perhaps the two who come off the worst are Beckham and Donovan. Beckham does, because he is someone who let other people do his dirty work (ask for the captaincy, hire a new hand-picked coach) and either he was party to these machinations, which makes him passive-aggressively evil, or he was completely oblivious and that makes him simply a dunce. Then when Beckham goes on loan to AC Milan (unbeknownst to anyone at the Galaxy until the deal was practically done) he claims he wants to stay in the Italian league and not return to the Galaxy, after saying everything to the contrary while in LA.

Donovan comes across as cowardly because he consistently calls out Beckham for being a bad teammate, a bad captain, having alligator arms at team dinners, but he does so to Wahl, never Beckham. In fact, once the book came out last year, it created a bit of a circus since Donovan’s comments about Beckham were not known until the book was published. The book’s release was purposely timed for when Beckham returned to the Galaxy midway through the 2009 season after the end of the Italian Serie A season. Once published, the book forced a summit between the two star players so they could air their grievances.

But for the soccer fan, the book is also great because you get to know some of the guys who make up the nuts and bolts of MLS, guys (mostly Americans) who played college soccer and play for practically minimum wage (rookies make less than $13,000 a year) because they love the sport so much. Getting to know these guys is uplifting and provides a nice counterweight to all the immature power plays at the higher levels. Wahl obviously has a devotion to the sport and his game recollections are tremendous and if nothing else, he makes it clear that Beckham and Donovan are both world-class players when at the top of their game. A true delight of a book for any soccer fan in more ways than one.

[Ian Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching the new Beckham documentary on Netflix, I remembered this book was written and I had it on my "read later" bookshelf. Being more familiar with European soccer and the MLS now, I thought it was time to read this. The Beckham Experiment was an interesting look back in time for me.

I originally thought this would be more of a tell-all biography on Beckham, but writer Grant Wahl, whom I always enjoyed reading on Sports Illustrated, focused on the small moment in time with Beckham on the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. Reading through each chapter, I learned that Beckham's impact was primarily on the financial side and not on the pitch (soccer field). He was still a star in the U.S. at that time, but not a "soccer star." In fact, his U.S. fame grew, but did not equate to Galaxy wins.

From what I read and understand now (years later), the move may have been premature and not well thought out. Beckham may not have been the right international soccer star to experiment with at the time, even though he was available. The move may have been to the benefit of his wife, Victoria "aka" Posh Spice of The Spice Girls.

While it was an enjoyable read, I wish it would have included more direct involvement from Beckham. It would have been interesting to read how he viewed the whole "experiment" and how it was all handled in hindsight.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an engaging analysis of the brief time David Beckham spent with the LA Galaxy soccer club. The 'experiment' involving Beckham attempted to work on many levels. It was always going to be more than just the play on the field. Beckham was, hopefully, going to raise the stature of the League both with the media and other leagues around the world. He was hopefully also going to fill the coffers of the owners with sales of jerseys and tickets and sponsors and Grant Wahl does an admirable job of exploring all these facets of the bank bursting transfer that brought Beckham stateside. His writing is engaging and detailed and all angles and viewpoints are given voice. In the end, the book did leave the question open as to whether or not the experiment worked and probably needs an update but it is still a fascinating read that shows the inner workings of MLS and gives voice to the players and the global force of the game. A great book for all sports fans.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book and especially interesting to read more than a decade later. Despite the date of publication, this book is still fascinating as a snapshot in time for MLS as a league. Highly recommended to all American soccer fans. Very easy to read and the celebrity/glitzy side of Beckham isn't detailed to excess, so props to Wahl for threading the needle.

Small warning: this book chronicles what in hindsight were the doldrums of the "Beckham Experiment." After this book, Beckham and the Galaxy would go on to win two MLS Cups and appear in another. The thrust of Wahl's book here, that the Beckham Experiment was quite successful off the field but not on it, is perfectly accurate at the time of writing. As I said, the book should be viewed as a snapshot in time. I do wish Wahl would publish an "updated" version to cover Beckham's entire Galaxy tenure, but if he hasn't done it by now, he likely won't.

Still, 5 star book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look into the differences of European and MLS soccer as well as what happens to a team when you introduce a really big fish into the pond.

[Justin Bitner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting behind the scenes of the LA Galaxy during Beckham’s tenure. Less about Beckham than about everyone around him, there’s plenty of tension and drama.

[Fiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A no-holds-barred account of the infamous (failed) Beckham experiment. Great journalism and definitely a great read. The best book that I have read so far this year. 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!!!

[Christopher Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I am a big soccer fan but learned a lot about MLS and Beckham.
Grant Wahl is a great writer and died way too soon. R.I.P.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grant Wahl's writing is tremendous. I will always miss him and his reporting on the beautiful game.

[Russell Suits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only wish there was more. RIP Grant.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every quick read that tells the story of one of England’ most popular player coming to LA Galaxy. Not all smiles and good times.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read about 2/3 of the way through while watching Ted Lasso. Interesting, but a bit too technical for me. Excellent writing though for NF

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

How a lad went to Los Angeles and got more Americans talking about soccer. We'll see how successful the experiment really was in the coming decade as David's Inter Miami team takes over the MLS.

[Brendan Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When David Beckham signed for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer in 2007 it was big news. Wall to wall coverage on Sky Sports News and hundreds of newspaper articles pontificating on what this meant for the further of soccer in the US of A. The whole thing seemed to be hyped beyond all measure largely due to Beckham’s celebrity profile rather than his footballing ability.

Looking back now, my gut feeling was that Beckham was partly successful. Everyone became a little bit interested, further big names followed – including the legendary Robbie Keane – but no-one in Europe actually watched any MLS apart from the odd youtube highlight. Whether the game has grown in the US, I have no idea – but the recent failure to qualify for the Russia World Cup suggests any benefits are been seen by the national team.

For The Beckham Experiment Grant Wahl was given great access to follow Beckham’s first two seasons at the Galaxy. Reading the book, I was shocked to realise how spectacular a failure those first few seasons were, from a sporting sense at least. Injuries, fatigue, lack of effort all played a part in the Galaxy having their worst two seasons in the club’s (I can never call a team a ‘franchise’) history.

Wahl paints the picture of an experiment that was a commercial success but – at that point – a sporting failure. Beckham’s management team were given way too much influence over club affairs, Beckham was made captain despite not having a desire to be the team’s actual leader, and the approach of blowing the budget on Beckham and Landon Donovan left the team hopelessness unbalanced. Indeed, I was shocked to see just how little some of his teammates earned, with one promising teammate even quitting the game to make more money in a ‘real’ job.

USA 94 legend Alexi Lalas is very much at the centre of the book – the former General Manager was clearly happy to use the book to vent his feelings about how his tenure at the Galaxy went. The most interesting insights for me were just how different Major League Soccer is from the game played elsewhere with drafts, salary caps and squad limits that make it a unique coaching and management challenge.

Beckham is painted as either secretly manipulative or willfully naive as his team effectively took over the club, ensuring he was made captain and installing Ruud Guilit as manager. We never get a strong sense of who Beckham is but this is no fault of Wahl’s who gets the other key protagonists to open up in great detail. Indeed, Donovan may have regretted how open he was when he ultimately had to apologise to Beckham for the candid views he expressed in the book. On balance, his teammates are reported to have viewed Beckham as a good teammate but a bad captain – a hard worker who wanted to win but someone who was distant from them by virtue of his fame and his wealth.

Overall the book provides a great insight into the state of MLS at the time. While I’ve attended a couple of MLS games whenever I’m in the States and watched plenty of Robbie Keane highlights over the years, I don’t know enough to know whether the league has progressed. It has whet my appetite for other books on the modern game in the US (I love books on the old NASL days such as Once in A Lifetime on the New York Cosmos).

Overall, it’s probably a little out of date to be of major interest to most readers still. But it’s a highly readable, well-written and well-reported book and I’m looking forward to checking out Wahl’s most recent book Football 2.0. I definitely have a natural bias against US based soccer journalists given the use of different terminology instantly jars, but this book was definitely well worth checking out.

I’ve also recently checked out Wahl’s podcast Planet Futbol which has some really interesting episodes.

You can read all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When David Beckham first came to the LA Galaxy, I was aware that this was a surprising move, but I didn’t read about soccer obsessively the way I do now. And in any case, a lot of the behind-the-scenes negotiations were just that – behind-the-scenes. So it was pretty interesting reading how his management all but took over the team, and how poorly it all went as a result. This is not a shocking tell-all, but a pretty balanced account of how expectations were not met, not for David Beckham, nor for the Galaxy.

[Eric Bofenkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Beckham has always been my favorite athlete. It was eye-opening to see the behind the scenes of how both the Beckham camp and Galaxy operated in his first few years in the league.

[Ellen Piekalkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable book about the development of major league soccer . You really get some insight into the business of the sport as well as some insight into David Beckham . The writer is a sports writer and has an excellent style of telling the story .

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first, this book will only be enjoyable to a fan of MLS. If reader is merely interested in the "celebrity" of Becks, this book won't give you much. And the insights into his world that it provides are in the first 3rd, as it handles he Beckham clan's arrival in SoCal.

The rest is pure insight into what an MLS team goes through in a season. Sure, the focus is David Beckham. But the book really seems to use him to help reader understand the game of soccer here in America, the state of it's top league, and where some of it's leaders/players think it can go.

Note to Seattle-based MLS fans: there are numerous connections to our newly minted squad, most notably player Pete Vagenas (07-08) and commentator Greg Vanney (08), who both played with Galaxy. Tyrone Marshall, Brad Evans and Sigi Schmid all see a brief mention, as well.

Good book, for it's audience. Having been an international soccer fan with almost no interest or knowledge of MLS prior to 2009, this book was a fascinating read. It's too bad the results of the Experiment in 2009 aren't included. Needless to say, the first 2 seasons did little to predict a 1st place finish there. But you can certainly see, after reading the book, how change in coach, attitude and several of the players could easily result in a turnaround considering the parody of MLS.

[Takaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/27 60 minutes
7 words summary
England, handsome, Manchester United, legend, Real Madrid, Victoria, transfer

Discussion Questions
1 David Beckham is one of the legend of soccer players. What do you think who is the best soccer player in the world?

A I think Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world. His performance makes us exciting! He got so many prizes of football. Therefore, I think he is the best player in the world.

2 FIFA World cup will be held in next year. So, What do you think which team will win in the world cup?
Q Actally, I think Brazil will win the world cup. Because next world cup will be held in Brazil. It is very good for Brazilian national football team. But, I hope Japan national football team will take active part in the world cup.

10/10 70 minutes
7 words summary
legend, transfer, LA Galaxy, business, captain, world cup, retire

Discussion Questions
1 In 2002, FIFA World cup held in Japan. Beckham came to Japan and took active part in games. Did you watch that?
A Yes. I enjoyed their performances in some games. Especially, I really impressed by Ronald who is a Brazillian soccer player.

2 David Beckham played in many football club. Which football club do you like the best?
A I like FC Barcelona which is one of the strongest football club in the world. Lionel Messi plays in that club.

[Colee B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would David Beckham's $32.5 million contract with the LA Galaxy ever be about the soccer before the celebrity? This is the question that is explored in The Beckham Experiment. Wahl offers an in-depth look at what David Beckman's presence at the LA Galaxy really meant for the team and the sport of soccer in America from 2007 until 2009. It's refreshing to read a book that is blunt about Beckham's character and his questionable practices as teammate and captain instead of only looking at him as Simon Fuller's carefully crafted image of a celebrity-athlete. I particularly praise Wahl for calling out David's double speak pertaining to his commitment to the Galaxy and highlighting many instances in which his dedication to his teammates was obviously not there. Kudos to Wahl for also addressing the overbearing presence of Fuller and his 19 Entertainment brand during Becks' first two seasons in LA. At the end of the book Wahl clearly states that 19 Entertainment had no say in its content.

My only complaint is that I feel like the book would have been best published once David's Galaxy was over instead of midway.

If you're looking for a book that strips away the glam and glitz of Beckham's celebrity image and instead analyzes his career and personality as a sportsman and human being then this is a must read.

[Ruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A solid behind-the-scenes look at David Beckham's early years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Since this was published before Beckham won back-to-back MLS Cups with the Galaxy, it's an incomplete yet fascinating document of the ups-and-downs (mostly downs) of Beckham becoming an MLS ambassador and growing his international brand.

Grant Wuhl is a longtime Sports Illustrated reporter and has interviewed all of the major players in the Beckham drama: team officials, Beckham's handlers, league officials, and his Galaxy teammates. It's interesting to read how the team and the MLS kowtowed to his demands early on and how it nearly ruined the team. By his third year, the fans had turned on Beckham and his teammates' consensus of him was "great teammate, terrible captain." With his frequent injuries, near-transfer to AC Milan, and a failed power play to run the Galaxy, the Beckham MLS Experiment was close to being a complete disaster.

Wuhl pulls no punches in his assessment (he could have been much more brutal, in my opinion), but leaves the door open in his final analysis. This was a smart choice, since Beckham did finally win championships in L.A., but only after his handlers were cut off from making any more club-related decisions.

Fans of Beckham, soccer, or the inner-workings of a growing sport should enjoy this.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fairly obsessed with soccer for the past 2 years, and my favorite team is the LA Galaxy, so I mainly read this for the behind-the-scenes Galaxy stuff and less for anything about Beckham. It was pretty good for that purpose, actually. It's insane how the team was being run in 2007-2008, especially when Gullit was coach (THEY DIDN'T EVEN PRACTICE SET PIECES???). I may have some issues with Bruce Arena's choices these days, but thank god they got him to fix this mess. Also, I already liked Alan Gordon a lot, but this book made me fall in love with him a little. I also really liked learning a lot about Landon Donovan. It was also funny to read stuff about players back then knowing how things turned out today, like Greg Vanney wanting to coach in MLS. My biggest complaint about this book was that it ended too soon; I really just wanted it to continue up to the current season (I know this was written in 2009, but imo Grant Wahl should just add a volume with every new season!), or at the very least, cover the good Beckham seasons in addition to the shitty ones. I know MLS is still kind of in its infancy, at least compared to most other leagues in the world, but I'm really hoping other people write behind-the-scenes books about MLS teams (particularly the Galaxy) because I would read the shit out of all of them tbh.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable and well-written account of David Beckham's time with the LA Galaxy, and why it hasn't exactly worked out as hoped (at least on the field). Wahl had lots of access to Galaxy players and management, so it's quite a behind the scenes work. Although I'm not a Galaxy fan, I learned a lot about MLS that I had not gleaned from following the Crew.

Despite some of the previews that suggested the book would be a hit piece on David Beckham, I didn't think he came off as an evil character. He comes across as basically a decent guy, but someone whose lifestyle, income, experiences, and ability just couldn't fit comfortably with his teammates, and ultimately lost interest in trying.

I also gained something of an appreciation for Landon Donovan, who's never been a favorite of mine on the US team or in MLS (putting it mildly), but who does come across here as pretty thoughtful and intelligent.

This isn't the type of sports book that supersedes the bounds of fandom -- don't think it would be all that interesting to someone who is not a sports fan at all. But for anyone even moderately interested in MLS, soccer, or just the business of American sport, I would recommend it highly.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As pop culture studies go, I suppose this was pretty standard. It's a weird cross between Sports Illustrated and People magazine, hip, savvy, but soulless. The emphasis here is not on Beckham as a soccer player but as a cultural commodity. Of course, Wahl is perfectly aware of this double persona and is careful to explain this as an effect of pop culture. But his handling of the synthesis veers too much toward tabloid-style gossip and too much away from the sociological analysis that I prefer.

I suppose the topic of soccer in America says more about Americans than it does about soccer. The problem is, Wahl really, really wants to talk about soccer. He is forced to hook his audience on soccer before he can explain the full import of the story, and it comes off clumsily, with far too much information on front-office finagling and far too much lifestyles of the rich and famous thrown in to sweeten the deal. In the end, the book suffers from the same fault as the titular experiment: it has to reinvent itself to appeal to a largely foreign audience, and ends up ringing patently false to what it intended in the first place.