Latest Posts
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How Erdoğan Took Over Turkish Soccer and Erased Its Former Hero
On December 1, 2022, Morocco defeated Canada 2–1 to top Group F at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In the press box, Alper Bakırcıgil was calling the game for TRT, Türkiye’s national broadcaster. Morocco had effectively put the game to… Continue reading
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Soccer and Tsunamis: Sport and Post-Disaster Community Resilience in Japan
As fans packed the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium in the Greater Tokyo area on a rainy April afternoon in 2011, there was a mixture of excitement and dread. As Kawasaki Frontale and Vegalta Sendai took the field in this J League… Continue reading
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Les Grenadiers: Haiti’s Beacon of Hope
On a November night at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curaçao, Haiti and Nicaragua were nearing the end of the final match of their World Cup qualifying campaigns. The Nicaraguan team, which was already mathematically eliminated from the tournament,… Continue reading
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How Soccer Leads Revolutions in Iran
Content Warning: This article includes a brief discussion of self-harm. Please proceed with care. This article is dedicated to the memory of Mahsa Amini and Sahar Khodayar as well as the pursuit of women’s rights in Iran and everywhere. On… Continue reading
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From Narco-Football to Rebel Rehabilitation, How Soccer Supports Peace in Colombia
On a steamy November night in 2023, the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla was packed for a crucial World Cup qualifier between Colombia and Brazil. In the 79th minute, the match was tied 1-1 when a cross came in from the… Continue reading
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The Human Trafficking of Young Athletes in Senegal and West Africa
Content Warning: This article includes discussion of child trafficking, the sexual exploitation of minors, homicide of a child, and slavery. Please proceed with care. This article is dedicated to the memory of Cheikh Touré and the pursuit of safety and… Continue reading
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How Climate Change is Threatening Spanish Soccer
Kickoff On an overcast November Saturday along Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast, global superstars Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinícius Jr. were supposed to step onto the pitch at the Estadio de Mestalla in Valencia for Real Madrid’s matchup against Valencia… Continue reading
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From Democratic Revolutionaries to Far-Right Partisans, How Brazil’s National Team Lost its Soul
Kickoff Soccer fans in Brazil have fallen out of love with their national team, and there’s data to back this up. In a 2025 survey by O Globo, only 15.9% of participants described themselves as “fanatic” fans of the national… Continue reading
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The Progressive’s Guide to Supporting Team USA in Trump’s America
Kickoff In early September, several thousand Washington D.C. residents marched towards the White House in protest of his controversial executive order which deployed National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. With their long history of progressive politics and support for… Continue reading
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Kicking Off the Explaining Offsides Blog
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.” This quip was famously uttered by Bill Shankly, the legendary manager of Liverpool FC in the 1960s and 70s, and… Continue reading
Explaining Offsides 