Grant Wahl is senior writer at Sports Illustrated and the author of The Beckham Experiment.

“I said to Balotelli, ‘I know you’re into President Obama. There’s a decent chance that he might read this story.’ He kind of perked up. I don’t think I was deliberately misleading him. There was a chance!”

Thanks to MailChimp, Audible, Feverborn, and Squarespace for sponsoring this week's episode.

Show Notes:

@GrantWahl

Wahl's Sports Illustrated archive

Wahl on Longform

[4:00] "Hidden Damages" (M.R. O'Conner • The Atavist Magazine • Jan 2015)

[19:00] "Home at Last" (William Mack • Sports Illustrated • Mar 1997)

[20:00] "Men on a Mission" (Sports Illustrated • Feb 1997)

[22:00] "The Odd Coupling" (Sports Illustrated • Oct 1997)

[24:00] "Paternity Ward" (Sports Illustrated • May 1998)

[27:00] The Beckham Experiment: How the World’s Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America (Three Rivers Press • 2009)

[28:00] "The Americanization of David Beckham" (Sports Illustrated • Jul 2007)

[34:00] "Mario Balotelli Has a Talent That’s Every Bit as Electric as His Personality" (Sports Illustrated • Aug 2013)

[34:00] "Luis Suarez is the Hottest Player on the Planet, But Can He Keep His Cool?" (Sports Illustrated • Jun 2014)

[41:00] "Ahead of His Class" (Sports Illustrated • Feb 2002)

[41:00] "Ready For Freddy?" (Sports Illustrated • Mar 2004)

[48:00] "Arm Folding: Who Does It the Best?" (Fox Sports • Jun 2015)

[48:00] "What Happened When I Decided to Run for FIFA President" (Sports Illustrated • Apr 2011)

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