Ranking the 34 ‘Ted Lasso’ Episodes
We dive into ‘Ted Lasso’ to see where the beloved AFC Richmond gaffer won and lost. Episodes were judged by their cohesion, heart, humor, and message.
football
What Happens When Punk Rockers and Sports Jocks Meet in the Middle?
When punk rockers and sports jocks meet their clash creates a fusion that causes a different kind of explosion.
The Passion of Diego Armando Maradona
In that fine tradition of Latin American culture, Diego Armando Maradona was nothing if not a magical realist. Unconcerned with good and evil, he embodied that ancient connection between children and godliness.
Celebrating the US Women’s National Soccer Team in Photos
PopMatters was there to document the parade honoring the Women's World Cup Champs in New York City. Enjoy a full photo gallery from Sachyn Mital.
Quit Dreaming: Quasi-Feminism in Nike’s Women’s Soccer “Dream Further” Ad
Women with economic privilege are positioned to celebrate Nike's "Dream Further" ad as progress while ignoring their complicity in the exploitation of other women.
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Sense and Sensibility at the World Cup
I've sworn, after learning about the latest kleptocrat billionaire to buy a club, or scrambling from the clash between hooligans and riot police, or hearing a homophobic chant rise up from the stands, I would give up on the game. Anyone with sense would.
Winning Formula: Schadenfreude and Arsenal Fan TV
Denial, distortion, acting out, displacement, dissociation, intellectualisation, rationalisation, anticipation, humour, acceptance -- this is the gas that AFTV runs on.
‘The Best American Sports Writing 2017’: The Power of the Pen in a Year of Unquiet Americans
"We sometimes project our problems onto sports," Louisa Thomas notes. "But sports can also be ... where we start to work them out."
Football in the Age of Late Capitalism: Field Notes From the 2016 Euro
Behind a veneer of youthful glamour, the Euro all but groaned under the weight of excess global capital, merciless media scrutiny, hyperprofessionalization, domestic French anxieties, and geopolitics.
Hunted by the Clock in ‘Risk of Rain’
Risk of Rain's most dangerous enemy is that ticking noise you hear in the back of your head.
In Defense of, Believe It or Not, TMZ
Regarding the Ray Rice saga, TMZ not only forced the NFL's hand, it put domestic violence back in the spotlight, where it should be.
In Defense of Totally Being Over the Winter Olympics
An institution once associated with athletic superiority and, of course, proud patriotism, has been deduced to yet another pawn in the ongoing game of international passive-aggression.