Advance Praise for the New Grant Wahl Book
“To read this book is to connect with and better understand a titan of the American game.”
Friends and followers of Grant Wahl: Mark Mravic here. By way of introduction, I had the privilege of working closely with Grant for more than two decades, first at Sports Illustrated and then as his editor for the Fútbol with Grant Wahl site.
I’m also the co-editor, along with my former SI colleague Alexander Wolff, of World Class: Purpose, Passion, and the Pursuit of Greatness On and Off the Field. This collection of Grant’s most powerful and memorable stories, spanning his entire career in journalism, will be published on June 4 and is available for preorder now. The early response to the book has been phenomenal, including a pair of starred reviews:
“Not only are these informed pieces almost effortlessly readable to aficionados and newbies alike… the collection is suffused with both courage and humanity… Recommended for any soccer collection.”
—Booklist, starred review
“Far more than an ordinary sportswriter… [Wahl] did more than any other writer to elevate soccer in the national sports conversation… A fine collection by a much-missed writer who was just rising to the top of his game.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
And a host of remarkable people have come together to support World Class, including prominent figures who are the subject of pieces in the book, as well as longtime fans, friends and fellow writers:
“For me, Grant’s Sports Illustrated cover story was the moment everything started. … 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.”
—LeBron James
“You can’t talk about the history of US soccer without including Grant Wahl. His legendary career and fearless advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community will be a legacy that lives on through this anthology and beyond.”
—Megan Rapinoe
“For American fans it is not enough to love the soccer—we are also duty-bound to promote the sport to our otherwise distracted countryfolk. No one exemplified this better than Grant Wahl. This lovingly curated treasury of Wahl’s work is more than a collection of world-class sportswriting, it is a record of soccer’s meteoric rise in America over the course of his career; an ascension that he fomented as much as anyone else by rendering this “foreign” sport accessible to millions. To read this book is to connect with and better understand a titan of the American game.”
—Brendan Hunt, a.k.a. Coach Beard, co-creator of Ted Lasso
“I hesitate to call this collection sportswriting at its best, because I think it is just writing at its best. To me, Grant was an anthropologist, and sports was his lens for studying humanity.”
—David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of Range and The Sports Gene
“Grant Wahl’s job was to write about sports, but his art was to reveal what matters most in life. This anthology is a collection of brilliant storytelling and timeless wisdom about excellence from a world-class professional. He was the best of us, and his work lives on to make us all better.”
—Adam Grant, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
“Grant Wahl took the craft of writing seriously and he took the sport soccer seriously. His dedication to each of them resulted in some of the best, most compelling sports writing I’ve ever read. When a new Grant Wahl article came out I dropped everything and read it. When a new Grant Wahl podcast episode dropped, it immediately went to the top of the queue. I will miss him and I will miss his work. He made me a better writer. He made me a better fan.”
—Clint Smith, New York Times bestselling author of How the Word is Passed
“The title says everything: Grant was absolutely World Class in everything he did. He was a world-class writer. He was a world-class person. He was a world-class friend. Reading his work again reminds me just how much he loved telling stories and standing up for what he believed in. Every word in this book surges with his energy and enthusiasm and love. I was one of the luckiest people in the world to get to know Grant. I miss him. But he’s here in this wonderful collection of his best work.”
—Joe Posnanski, New York Times bestselling author of Why We Love Baseball
“Here, arrayed for all to enjoy, is a glimpse into Grant’s wide-ranging interests and extravagant talents. A mix of classic sportswriting and this century’s answer to New Journalism; meticulously reported pieces and informed opinion; men and women; soccer and beyond; American and international. And the title could not be more apt, as Grant was—and his work/legacy remain—world class. Grant was all class and tops in class,with few peers matching his quality, rigor, vigor and unswerving honor. He also considered the entire planet his beat, going wherever the story took him. Damn, we miss him.”
—Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated writer and 60 Minutes correspondent
As the publication date for World Class approaches, look for more news here, as well as exclusive offers for Grant’s Substack audience and a special bonus for subscribers—a previously unavailable piece from Grant’s formative days as a young journalist, coming on the site later this month.
From all of us at Team Grant, thank you for helping to keep his legacy alive.