One of Grant Wahl’s favorite annual projects when he worked at Sports Illustrated was called MLS Ambition Rankings. And while the piece was far from his most decorated or glamorous work across two decades of storytelling through writing, podcasting or appearing on camera, it did hit on something that perhaps defined him and his career and what drove him the most: Ambition.
No swing was too big, no target too out-of-reach for Wahl, who died suddenly on Friday while covering Argentina-Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup. His loss is as shocking as it is devastating, as evidenced by the outpouring of support and sympathy that has followed.