The stage has been set for Tuesday’s release of “The Beckham Experiment”, by Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated (http://tinyurl.com/layry6), with Landon Donovan trying to explain his criticism of David Beckham in the book, and the English midfielder shooting right back, saying Donovan was “unprofessional.”
Wahl saw inside the Los Angeles Galaxy for two years. Cheers & Jeers wanted to know if he saw this firestorm brewing.
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Cheers & Jeers » What’s your initial impression of the statements by Beckham and Donovan, and can their relationship be repaired?
Grant Wahl » I think it’s important to note that Donovan isn’t backing down from the content of what he said: He thought Beckham wasn’t committed to the Galaxy during the last half of 2008, and he thought he wasn’t a good captain. But Donovan did apologize for the way he delivered those comments, so I was expecting that Beckham’s first public response would be somewhat conciliatory. Surprisingly, it wasn’t, and it only served to add fuel to the fire. If that continues, this relationship might not get repaired. Then again, winning solves a lot of problems.
C&J » In the research for your book, what was most revealing to you about Beckham?
GW » I’ve followed Beckham (and interviewed him) for years, and former teammates and coaches had always said that Beckham gave one hundred percent in every practice and game, that he was one of the hardest workers in soccer. I never thought he would give less than one hundred percent, but that’s exactly what he did during the last half of the 2008 MLS season. It was obvious to anyone who watched all of the Galaxy’s games (as I did, quite painfully), and it was clear to some of Beckham’s Galaxy teammates who watched him in practice É
My theory is that Beckham had never lost this many games in his career, and he didn’t handle it well. But the fact is that you learn the most about somebody from how they handle failure. What I learned about Beckham in 2008 surprised me.
C&J » What was most difficult about covering subject matter that crossed into the tabloid/celebrity world?
GW » Having to watch Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood for this book! I do find it funny that what I thought were two throw-away minutes in a one-on-one interview with Beckham — about the influence of his friend Tom Cruise — ended up being the lead story in the gossip column of the New York Daily News.
