World Class: Purpose, Passion, And The Pursuit Of Greatness On And Off The Field,Used

The definitive collection of beloved late journalist Grant Wahls worka masterclass in the art of sportswritingAfter 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 reasonhe was kind, generous, and unflinching in the face of injustice. He was also one of the best sports journalists of his generation.Spanning four decades of storytelling, World Class collects for the first time the finest writing of Grant Wahl, from opeds for his college newspaper to twentyfive years of reporting at Sports Illustrated to his deeply personal work for Ftbol with Grant Wahl on Substack. Wahl was the multitool modern sportswriter: clear and direct; able to write long, short, or in between; cosmopolitan; socially aware.Arranged thematically, World Class demonstrates how Wahls career aligned with the evolution of sportswriting. Included are explorations of soccer subcultures from Buenos Aires and F.C. Barcelona to the dusty sandlots of Nacogdoches, Texas, as well as accounts of trophy lifts that have a firstdraftofhistory definitiveness. Some pieces capture prodigies early in their careers, like LeBron James and Landon Donovan; others lift the voices of the women athletes to whom Wahl paid early attentionstars like Abby Wambach 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.