Steven George Gerrard: A Man Apart
The remarkable thing about Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard’s reserve is that it never prevents him from protecting those whom he leads.
SPORTS
Football between above and below
In "Futebol Nation," British journalist David Goldblatt explores the social and political history of Brazilian football.
Fifty Four Kingdoms
The apparel and accessory company, 54 Kingdoms, makes fashion with "a pan-Africanist sensibility." They thought the African Cup of Nations is a good place to start.
Willy Sagnol’s Race Problem
If you tell a lie enough times then people will start believing it as gospel. You know, stuff like ‘He’s not that sort of player’ or ‘Actually it’s about ethics in games journalism.’ The football world is replete with this sort of thing. First there’s The Guardian‘s presentation of Luis Suárez’s interview with Simon Hattenstone. […]
What would Mandela do
The South African struggle suggests that sports boycotts are effective at forcing change. For white South Africans (and their apologists), sporting isolation was a bitter pill to swallow.
Football is Politics in Nigeria
Nigeria is a serial offender at so many things, and the shenanigans in Nigerian football is consistent with its bad behavior.
Christmas Day*
UPDATED: So there you have it. After 120 minutes and a great goal by Mario Goetze (whose name will now be part of German lore like Gert Muller and Andreas Brehme), Germany are World champions. It’s been a magical month. But it is also basically the last time (till the next World Cup in four years) […]
The Beautiful T-Shirt
Art, Politics, T-Shirts, Fútbol, Play: Africa is a Country joins forces with Los Angeles artists for a t-shirt project.
The Final Report
Today the 2014 World Cup in Brazil ends. It was a fun ride, and I don’t think that anyone will disagree that this has been an unforgettable month of international sport, politics, and drama both on and off the field. The video below is my attempt at showing another side of Rio de Janeiro and a few […]
Kafka in Cameroon
Cameroon's police apparently interrogated Samuel Eto'o and took away his passport over the team's World Cup display.
Thank You, Associated Press
We published “Neymar and the Disappearing Donkey” (to coincide with the World Cup in Brazil) on June 17th. The story included a list of race-colors from a 1976 study done in Brazil. On June 22 the big-time news agency AP published a “story” which basically consisted of the list. That story’s been repeated /shared / […]
Brazilians are used to this
The Mexican writer Alma Guillermoprieto declared this World Cup “the best ever.” Few can disagree. A total of 136 goals were scored in 48 group matches and another 18 in the 8 matches of the last round. Not everything is surprising: with the exception of Costa Rica, all the top seeds made it to the […]
Africa is a Radio: Episode #4 – World Cup Special!
We’re shortening the name of Africa is a Country Radio. From now on (save for when we slip up) the show will be known as Africa is a Radio! This month’s show dives fully (rather than the toe dip of last month) into World Cup fever with a show that features 16 songs for the 16 teams […]
Algeria in Queens, New York
Watching the World Cup match between Algeria vs Germany in one of New York City's most diverse boroughs.
Dear Ann Coulter …
Ann Coulter, an American columnist who makes Richard Littlejohn and Donald Rumsfeld look like easy-going lefties, has finally written about football, having “held off on writing about soccer for a decade — or about the length of the average soccer game – so as not to offend anyone” (Note to Ann: a soccer game is […]
As American as Apple Pie
No, soccer is not invading the United States. It's been here all along.
The American Ending
The messiness, subjectivity and imprecision of football are being eroded from the game, argues the Nigerian novelist and football fan.
Cote d’Ivoire’s World Cup in Harlem
Ivorian cab driver in East Harlem: “African players never play the same for their European teams and their national teams."
So then, what does Blackness in Brazil look like?
With the increased attention on Brazil since the Cup started, I’ve noticed non-Brazilians trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Brazilian racial politics. I’ll tell you it’s not an easy task. It’s taken me months to grasp even an idea of what’s going on with race while learning the culture, the language, and the layout […]
Boima’s Rio World Cup Diary: Fatigue (Day 12)
I’ve stopped going to Fan Fests. I’m tired, I didn’t pace myself. A month is a long time, and new arrivals seem to come every day. World Cup tourists have an endless number of substitutions. They’re always feeling fresh for the party. The knock out stages start soon. Big European teams – former American colonizers […]