“Though most fans would probably deny it, a love of soccer is often intertwined with a love of numbers. There are the match results, the famous dates, and the special joy of sitting in a café with the newspaper on… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“The theory of the “wisdom of crowds” says that if you aggregate many different opinions from a diverse group of people, you are much… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
Even before 2007, this half of a small island was the richest football country on earth. In 2005-2006 the Premiership's total revenue was about £1.4bn, 40 per cent more than its nearest rival, Italy's Serie A. That was before take-off. Now foreign television channels are sending so much cash that the Premiership is expected to take in nearly £1.8bn this… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“It’s sad to say, but it is much easier selling, for example, a crap Brazilian than a brilliant Mexican. The Brazilian gets across the… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“Entrepreneurs who dip into soccer also keep making the same mistakes. They buy clubs promising to run them “like a business” and disappear a… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
Football is not merely a small business, it's also a bad one. Anyone who spends any time inside football soon discovers that just as… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
Chelsea's players, coaches and agents are now football's wealthiest millionaires. Surely the billions taken from the Russian people by an oligarch in questionable privatisations… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
It seems that soccer tournaments create those relationships: people gathered together in pubs and living rooms, a whole country suddenly caring about the same… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“Aulas spotted early that most soccer fans everywhere are much more like shoppers than like religious believers: if they can get a better experience… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“you are brought face to face with the great question about the soccer coach: Does he really matter? It turns out that coaches or… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“Stars of Recent World Cups, or European Championships Are Overvalued The worst time to buy a player is in the summer when he’s just… — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
