Book it Like Beckham

When U.K. royals David and Victoria Beckham landed on American shores, everyone went crazy. But the Beckham's state-side sojourn—prompted by his $250 million deal to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team—will be seen in retrospect as one the weirder chapters in British-American relations. In a new book, The Beckham Experiment, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl interviews Beckham and his Galaxy teammates—including some of whom made as little as $12,000 a year—and covers some personal ground, exploring Beckham’s icy relationship with Galaxy’s President, his marriage, and his friendship with Tom Cruise.