From VQR, Abbie Fentress Swanson on the World Cup and fandom from afar. Playing for the world: Vanity Fair does soccer. Rabih Alameddine on how soccer helps us remember the people we’ve lost. Football clubs have a unique power to build communities, but their owners are only interested in money — let's put the national sport back in the hands of its supporters. A dear friend to capitalism: The World Cup is another setback to any radical change — the opium of the people is now football. The categorical imperative to put the ball in the net: A review of Soccer and Philosophy. It's not, generally speaking, a good idea to read too much into a Nike commercial. Here are 5 things you don’t know about North Korean soccer. Ian Syson on locating soccer in Australian cultural life. Stereotypes fall as traditional power Germany deals with injuries, personal conflicts and changing game. An article on the resurrection of Diego Maradona. Despite an ever growing tide of immigration from soccer-frenzied Latin America, Hispanic representation on the US national team has not kept pace. A review of Chasing the Game: America and the Quest for the World Cup by Filip Bondy (and more). Will soccer ever make it in America? The sport is mostly of elite interest in the States (and more). From Think Progress, a look at the right-wing war against soccer. The "right wing noise machine" attack on soccer reflects "racism and imperial arrogance", suggests Dave Zirin in The Nation — does he have a point? Most countries think of the World Cup as a football tournament — what's our problem? Once, it was only a game but now sport is a never-ending drama, a soap opera watched all over the world — how did sport get so big? The 2018 World Cup: A self-inflicted blow to hopes of hosting football’s global party.
