From Words Without Borders, a special issue on sports. Tom Perrotta on the inexplicable collapse of tennis phenom Ana Ivanovic. From Mediascape, "this is what’s really cool about NFL Films": An interview with Margaret Ruffing Morris; and Sudeep Sharma on reading ESPN against niches. From NYRB, a review of Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi and A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played by Marshall Jon Fisher (and more by Mark Lamster at Bookforum). Who is World Wide Wes? Bud Shaw investigates. John Pilger on why sharks should not own sport. Can a band of American knights turn “full contact” jousting into an action sport? Soccer explains nothing: Stop looking to the World Cup for history lessons — it’s just a game and, frankly, that’s good enough. A review of Sport in the Cultures of the Ancient World. A Perfect Game: David Hart on the metaphysical meaning of baseball. Dan O'Connell writes in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Cornerback. Taking the long view, Tiger was never all that well paid to begin with when compared with the charioteers of ancient Rome. She shoots, she scores: What sports actually do for girls — and for all of us. Why are sports fans so biased? A review of Gaming the World: How Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture by Andrei S. Markovits and Lars Rensmann (and more).
