Scissors Kick

“Why are the Ivory Coast soccer player Didier Drogba and the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo featured in underpants on a recent cover of Vanity Fair? Why was Drogba just named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine? The answer is that the men’s World Cup tournament, in South Africa, is imminent. Vanity Fair is running a blog, Fair Play, and the magazine’s cover story has even taken a baby step toward maturity: In best deconstructive style, it presents the word ‘soccer’ with a line through it—put under erasure by the big word used globally, ‘football’.” (The Chronicle Review), (Must Read Soccer)

“Accra, Ghana – In a lot of African cities the divide between rich and poor is hard to miss. Shanty towns are squished between the majestic monuments and manicured lawns. This week I ventured into one such area, Jamestown, with Ghanaian journalist Isaac Kpelle. From a cinematic perspective Jamestown is absolutely gorgeous – crumbling colonial buildings, a tattered lighthouse, crowded alleyways and brightly coloured wooden fishing boats. Originally settled by the coastal Ga people, it was turned into a British fort (James Fort) in the 17th Century. Today it’s a hardened shanty area with a working port and home to many of Ghana’s best boxers (You can see more about the boxing here).” (ESPN)(Must Read Soccer)