Via Foreign Policy, commentary on how hard power has left its mark on this year's World Cup: On an idyllic spring day this year, diplomats gathered in the United Nations garden to kick around a soccer ball. In anticipation [...]

Via Defector, a look at the state of sportswashing in soccer: On Dec. 5, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, nominally for Trump's "tireless efforts to bring [...]

Via ImpactAlpha, commentary on the sportswashing implications of World Cup 2026: Football (soccer to us Yanks) is “the beautiful game.” The sport’s best players combine physical grace, mental agility, and joy on the [...]

Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on Barcelona FC, the oil business, and sportswashing allegations in the Amazon: The River Caqueta snakes nearly 1,800 miles into the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Here, in the [...]

Via Sky News, a look at the recent unapologetically political World Cup draw: This was a World Cup draw like no other. Crafted less for the teams but for one man. The choice of venue. The creation of a new trophy. The [...]