Suggested Reading & Viewing
Review: The Damned United
We should make clear at the outset that neither the book nor film called The Damned United is a work of nonfiction history. Both, in varying degrees, are fictionalized accounts of a very famous time in English football, featuring a notorious...
In the Goofy and Fun Hooper’s Revolution, Soccer in America Really is a Communist Plot
In the common imagination, soccer in the United States is often seen, internally, as some insidious undermining of American culture. To outsiders, it's seen as a goofy land of cheerleaders, rules changes, semi-retired Brits and clueless fans. What if both...
A Captain’s Tale is a Fun Little English Football History Lesson
The full title of the film A Captain's Tale includes the phrase "World Cup," as in fact it's the true story of what some folks call the "first World Cup." That, for me, is a stretch in the extreme, but it's...
The Shaolin (Kung Fu) Soccer Movie is Good, Flying Fun
Sometimes I believe we overthink things like movies and football, and we forget they are supposed to be good, clean, even silly fun. If you need a reminder of that, watch the Shaolin (Kung Fu) Soccer movie. Even if you...
The Keeper Tells (Some of) the Remarkable Story of Bert Trautmann
If all you knew were the very basics of Bert Trautmann's story, it would be remarkable: a German soldier in World War II, captured by the British, winds up playing goal for Manchester City, finishes and wins the 1956 FA...