“‘The first ten days were soccer as it is,’ Sam Knight writes, of the World Cup, ‘rather than as you want it to be.’ Knight reflects on his time reporting in Qatar, and the highs and lows of the tournament to date. Plus, David Remnick talks with Politico’s new owner, the German media baron Mathias Döpfner, who has made a name for himself as a contrarian, fighting what he sees as partisanship fuelled by the largest media outlets. And the contributor Andrew Leland sits down with the poet John Lee Clark, whose writing on the DeafBlind experience is full of humor and life. …”
New Yorker (Audio)

“Today I feel… pretty tired. It takes a lot of energy to keep across all 56 games played so far during the World Cup. And it takes far more energy to actually play international football in a humid climate — for many of those being asked to do so, in the middle of a gruelling domestic season with just a few days’ preparation time. …”
The Athletic