China | ‘Penalty Phase,’ by Gay Talese (chapter 43)
Gay Talese refers to the setting at the Women’s World Cup final on 10 Jul 99—the tableau of winning penalty-kick taker Brandi Chastain mobbed by teammates in a swirl of confetti and California sun—as a “stadium sky jet-streamed with jingoism.” But his interest was in the Chinese player who missed her penalty kick, Liu Ying. Liu’s story takes up much of Talese’s memoir, A Writer’s Life. With podcast » (Photo of Talese © Joyce Tenneson)
Whither the 'soccer mom'
An introduction to The Global Game: Writers on Soccer, the first anthology of soccer writing produced for a North American audience. Taking a cue from Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (left), what do we talk about when we talk about soccer?
Video & archives »
Part 5 of the video introduction to the University of Nebraska Press collection, covering the section "Belief." (4:49)
- Translations | No último minuto (‘In the last minute’), February 2009, Comment »
- Classroom resources | Playing a ‘cascarita’ with words, January 2009, Comment »
- The Writers’ League | Israeli trophy leads to ‘emptiness of the day after’, December 2008, Comment »
- The Writers’ League | For 3 days in Tel Aviv, football becomes more than metaphor, December 2008, Comment »
- Translations | How ‘newspapers’ become ‘body bags’ when translating the global game, November 2008, 2 comments
About The Global Game | Writers on Soccer
The site supporting The Global Game: Writers on Soccer (University of Nebraska Press), edited by John Turnbull, Thom Satterlee, and Alon Raab. Site includes podcasts and classroom resources. Buy the book »
“I’m a soccer fan. If you are, too, this is the book for you” (Bill Littlefield, Only a Game, 5 Feb 09). Go to testimonials »
Desktops | Ultimate writers' XI »
 Vladimir Nabokov (above) and James Joyce—goalkeeper and manager, respectively, on our writers' XI ("Ultimate XI: Writers Can Play, Too," Goal: The New York Times Soccer Blog, Mar 7)—never played football together, but they did kibitz with Hungarian footballers in 1937. Download writers' XI desktop » |
Interviews & Features »
Author interviews »
Podcast downloads »Literary links »
Quotes on soccer »
Soccer offers an ambiguous middle ground between words and blows. (Tim Parks, "Soccer: A Matter of Love and Hate," New York Review of Books, 18 Jul 02)
E-mail newsletter »
Recent posts »
- China | ‘Penalty Phase,’ by Gay Talese (chapter 43)
- Ukraine | ‘The Dynamo Team,’ by Anatoly Kuznetsov (chapter 38)
- Translations | No último minuto (‘In the last minute’)
- Classroom resources | Playing a ‘cascarita’ with words
- The Writers’ League | Israeli trophy leads to ‘emptiness of the day after’
- The Writers’ League | For 3 days in Tel Aviv, football becomes more than metaphor
- Translations | How ‘newspapers’ become ‘body bags’ when translating the global game
© 2009 JZ Editing & Publishing. 
| University of Nebraska Press | Excerpt | Bibliography | Testimonials | Buy
| University of Nebraska Press | Excerpt | Bibliography | Testimonials | Buy
