“For most of the 21st century Smith has logged his working notes and research on sport theory at sportsBabel, a site that “examines the aesthetics, politics and poetics of sport and physical culture.” As evident below, he is interested in technical developments in sport and in its consumption, which leads to reflection on the postmodern spectator. Smith’s commitment to praxis as well as theory comes through in his annual promotion of Global Village Basketball, a Web-aided melding of pickup results from Poland to Serbia to the USA that illustrates the potential of ‘sporting multitudes.'” (The Global Game)

“Rio Ferdinand, Jose Bosingwa and Michael Essien hurt their knees. Didier Drogba broke his elbow. Michael Ballack and Jon Obi Mikel messed up their ankles. Arjen Robben tweaked his hamstring. Andrea Pirlo aches in his calf. No Charlie Davies, no Lassana Diara, no Mourad Meghni, no David Beckham.” (Pitch Invasion)

“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)

“In the first of eight group previews, I am joined by Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer to – with a little help of Andy Brassel, Simon Hill, and Simon Kuper – look at Group E. The Netherlands are the seeded nation in a group with no easy points. Denmark won its UEFA qualifying group. Cameroon is one of the nations expected to reap an advantage from the World Cup going to Africa for the first time. Japan’s talented midfield is poised to take advantage of any team that may slip. Your three analysts discuss each team and, going match-by-match, give their picks for the two teams that will come out of the group.” (EPL Talk), (World Cup Group H Preview: World Cup Buzz Podcast)

“The World Cup is agonizingly close, I seem to be spending all my time thinking, reading, or talking about it. However with all of the different news, blog, and sport sites available on the internet, sifting through the pile for worthwhile material can be a nightmare. This is why I have, in association with The Gaffer, created the EPL Talk toolbar. It allows you to find the latest football news, blogs, and opinion quickly and efficiently without leaving your current webpage.” (EPL Talk)

“I have no idea what kind of distribution The World is a Ball: The Joy, Madness and Meaning of Soccer is going to get outside of Canada and Ireland, where the author, John Doyle, has some kind of following. But if you’re in Canada, I suspect it’s going to be hard to go into a bookshop for the next two months without seeing this book prominently on display. Being football fans, you’re going to be tempted to buy it. So let me get the important part of this review of the way: if you do buy it, you will almost certainly be disappointed.” (Pitch Invasion)