Author Description

Driving with a dashboard: in search of new truths about soccer -- Part I: the clubs -- Racism, stupidity, bad transfers, capital cities, the Leicester fairy tale, and what actually happened in that penalty shoot-out in Moscow -- Gentlemen prefer blonds: how to avoid silly mistakes in the transfer market -- The worst business in the world: why soccer clubs haven't made money -- Safer than the bank of England: why soccer clubs almost never disappear -- A decent business at last? be careful what you wish for -- Super league: why rich people don't always get what they want -- Unbanned: the case for reparations for women's soccer -- Need not apply: does soccer discriminate against black people? -- Do coaches matter? the cult of the white manager -- Isaac Newton, Liverpool, and the moneyball of soccer: have data analytics transformed the game? -- The economist's fear of the penalty kick: are penalties cosmically unfair, or only if you are Nicolas Anelka? -- The suburban newsagents: city sizes and soccer prizes -- Part II: the fans -- Loyalty, suicides, and happiness -- A fan's suicide notes: do people jump off buildings when their teams lose? -- Happiness: why hosting a World Cup Is good for you -- Football versus football: a tale of two empires -- Are soccer fans polygamists? a critique of the Nick Hornby model of fandom -- Part III: countries -- Rich and poor, Tom Thumb, England, Spain, Palestine, and the champions of the future -- The curse of poverty: why poor countries are poor at sports -- Core beats periphery: why little Western Europe rules international soccer -- Why England still loses-but nowadays only just -- Tom Thumb: the best little soccer country on earth -- The future: the best of times-and the streaming service.