football

On the Hunt for a Soccer Superstar in Joseph O’Neill’s ‘Godwin’

Lee Polevoi

The novel’s opening pages—first narrated by Lakesha (soon caught up in the throes of office politics), then Mark, back to Lakesha, and so on—are marked by brisk prose and closely observed insights. But during Mark’s journey to England, a long stretch of exposition about soccer and related matters threatens to stall the narrative’s forward motion.

Ads, Food, and Gambling Galore – Essentials of the Super Bowl

Nick Lehr

Gambling and the Super Bowl have always gone hand in hand. To University of Iowa sports media scholar Tom Oates, what makes the developments of the past few years so remarkable is the NFL’s stunning reversal on its own attitudes toward betting. Gone are the quaint days of league officials lobbying Congress to put restrictions and guardrails in place.

One Rich White Guy’s Quest for a Pro Sports Team

Mark Goebel

All told, there are 21 basketball, 17 football, 10 hockey, and 9 baseball owners worth at least $1 billion, according to my buddies at Forbes, and their combined net worth exceeds $100 billion. And the rest of the gang, meaning those owners with a net worth less than $1 billion, aren’t paupers. So, I’d say that’s a club I would want to belong to even if the price of entry is pretty high.

Cashing in on College Athletics

George White

The college athletes who generate revenue in all sports will be compensated for the first time in the 107-year history of the NCAA if O’Bannon wins his lawsuit (O’Bannon vs. NCAA). The litigation is in the spotlight again, because the case is expected to go to court in June, and because more and more media commentators, scholars and law professors are siding with the athletes and calling for reforms.

Et Tu, Etas Unis? Soccer and the American Dream

Tyler Huggins

Since 2012, every MLS team maintains a free and full-functioning academy with moderate success. Each academy sources from local clubs, showcases, and camps, whisking away the most promising talents and training them for future MLS contracts within their respective organizations. As a model, the U.S. academies bear a considerable resemblance to the German academies, sans the $300 million euros Germany invests in youth development annually and the ideological devotion to a dominant German national squad. All that and some comparable results. 

Al Davis (R.I.P.), A Champion of Diversity

Lee Hubbard

From New America Media: There were a lot of words used to describe Al Davis, the 82-year-old owner of the Oakland Raiders National Football franchise, when it was announced he passed away at his Oakland residence last [month]. Davis was called a legend, tough, demanding, ruthless, sneaky, renegade, pioneer, hall of famer and Oakland Raider. Davis was all of these, as well as a stand-up man for diversity in sports and in particular his team. 

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