FIFA
The U.S. Soccer Federation Claims the Women's Team Actually Earns More Than the Men's Team, Prompting Backlash
Both the men's and women's national teams have disputed the USSF's claims.
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Is the Best in the World and Still Can't Get Equal Pay
The United States Soccer Federation has argued the women generate less revenue—a claim that is not supported by the current evidence.
How Corruption Has Dampened Brazilian Affection for the World Cup
Brazilians have become increasingly disenchanted with soccer as political scandals continue to cloud the country's news cycle.
PS Picks: Ken Bensinger Shows FIFA a Red
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
The Lede, Issue #20: Responding to the Fukushima Accident, Bringing Back the Grizzly, FIFA Corruption, and More
An exclusive newsletter that gives premium members greater access to Pacific Standard stories, staff, and contributors in their inbox every Sunday morning
World Cup Fever
For many, the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games represent missed opportunities to tackle health problems and inequality.
The Calm, Steady, Reliable Greece
Sometimes a national team looks nothing like the country it represents.
How Italian Will Italy Be After the World Cup?
The idea of Italian identity has always been a weak one, and the brief, oncer-every-four-years flirtation with the national team just brings those issues into sharper focus.
How Soccer Came to Define Brazil
The massive, multicultural, multiracial nation initially struggled to find a uniting identity—until everyone started playing and watching the sport brought over by the British.
The 2014 World Cup Will Be The Biggest Media Event Ever
This post recognizes it is adding to the noise—but remains hopeful that it also says something valuable about the future of media coverage.
The Most Political Matches in World Cup History
A rumored death threat from Mussolini, what was ostensibly an on-field boxing match, and an egregious handball doubling as payback for the Falklands War.
Will Soccer Ever Be as Big as Football in the United States?
As soccer picks up fans and followers in the U.S., entrepreneurs are betting that they’ll be able to make a lot of money off of a sport that’s already enormously popular elsewhere. Will their bets pay off?
Why Are the Official World Cup Songs so Terrible?
It's not easy to make a pop song that appeals to the entire world.
The Best Team in the World That's No Longer a Country
Bosnia and Herzegovina makes its maiden voyage to the World Cup this summer, and Croatia will be playing in its fourth tournament, but the memories of Yugoslavia—and the what-if questions—have yet to fade away.