“While most of the attention around the recent World Cup bidding scandal has rightfully gone to the layers of corruption embedded in FIFA’s current process, that has obscured another interesting angle to the story: the bid bribery was embedded in the nebulous way World Cup bids are supposed to serve development goals. The two officials at the center of the scandal—Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii—were both ostensibly asking for funds to build fields and a ‘sports academy’ to develop the game in their home regions. The absolute certainty with which most of us dismissed those presumably worthwhile goals as a mere front for lining pockets is telling. Most of us want to believe the game can do some good in the world, but many tangible efforts towards that end are immediately treated with skepticism.” (Pitch Invasion)