Italian Soccer

Why Has Italy Failed to Qualify for Three Straight World Cups?
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/italy-has-failed-to-qualify-for-three-straight-world-cups-are-the-countrys-immigration-policies-to-blame
After winning the tournament in 2006, gli Azzurri have become a national embarrassment, and their failure has sparked a conversation in Italy over immigration policies and who gets to be a citizen. 

Dynamic Pricing and the World Cup

Is Dynamic Pricing Ruining the World Cup? 
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-financial-page/is-dynamic-pricing-ruining-the-world-cup
Soccer fans and host-city politicians are up in arms about the prices that FIFA is charging for tickets under its new sales system.  

Claudia Goldin helped WNBA Players Negotiate a Better Contract

WNBA Players Had an Ace Up Their Sleeve in Pay Negotiations: A Nobel Laureate
https://www.wsj.com/economy/wnba-players-had-an-ace-up-their-sleeve-in-pay-negotiations-a-nobel-laureate-c5040a28
Harvard economist Claudia Goldin helped WNBA players win a nearly 400% raise. Starting this season, players’ average salary will top $580,000. 

A Notable Sports Triumph

With ‘a Billion’ Eyes on Them, India’s Women Lift Cricket World Cup
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/world/asia/india-women-cricket-world-cup.html
A team that faced seemingly insurmountable odds wins its first championship, with wider ramifications for the role women play in public life. 

India’s women win the cricket World Cup
https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/11/06/indias-women-win-the-cricket-world-cup
Their victory is a welcome boost for women’s sport—and for Indian women in general.

Prediction Markets and Sports Betting

NHL Deal with Kalshi, Polymarket Adds to Pressure on Sports-Betting Companies
https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/nhl-deal-with-kalshi-polymarket-adds-to-pressure-on-sports-betting-companies-2b06ebeb
The licensing agreement is the first of its kind between a major U.S. professional sports league and prediction markets. 

Growing Popularity of Women's Professional Sports in India

Women in Indian Sports Sweat for Their Share of a Booming Market
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/world/asia/india-sports-women-female-athletes.html
Female athletes are using social media to increase viewership and seek better sponsorship deals in a field long dominated by men. 

The Stunning Elegance of Smriti Mandhana (Indian Cricket Star):

Smriti Mandhana Hits 112 Runs off 62 Balls | England v India

https://youtu.be/TxXwlMfmNQc

Reviving Mixed Doubles in Tennis

The Hyped Revival of Mixed Doubles
https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-hyped-revival-of-mixed-doubles
In the U.S. Open, the format is being redesigned as a popularity contest engineered to generate buzz. 

India's Latest Chess Sensation

Gritty, goofy, go-getter: How teenager Divya Deshmukh became India’s golden girl of chess
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/divya-deshmukh-india-golden-girl-chess-world-cup-goofy-gritty-10165961/ 

What's the secret to India's moves to conquer the global chess scene?
https://www.wgbh.org/news/international-news/2025-08-05/whats-the-secret-to-indias-moves-to-conquer-the-global-chess-scene

An All-Time Classic Test Series

England v India 2025 - an all-time classic series
https://www.reuters.com/sports/cricket/england-v-india-2025-an-all-time-classic-series-2025-08-04 

A New Era in Tennis

The Sincaraz Era Is Tennis Reborn
https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-sincaraz-era-is-tennis-reborn
In Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the sport has not only its next great rivalry but a moment that highlights everything the sport can be. 

The Golden Age of Men's Tennis Continues

Tennis Was Supposed to Get Boring. Nobody Told Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
https://www.wsj.com/sports/tennis/carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-french-open-final-8a99b11f
As the Big Three era fades from view, a fresh pair of generational stars paint a masterpiece in Paris. 

Related:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2025/06/09/carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-rivalry-french-open-final2/

A New Cricket Phenom

The 14-Year-Old Slugger Who Just Stunned a Billion Sports Fans
https://www.wsj.com/sports/cricket-vaibhav-suryavanshi-india-fdac5da6
The cricket-mad nation of India was left spellbound when Vaibhav Suryavanshi announced his talent to the world by becoming the youngest man to hit a century in the Twenty20 game. 

Luck and Success in Sports

Is March Madness All Luck?
https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/is-march-madness-all-luck  
As a Purdue Boilermakers fan, I’ve experienced plenty of heartbreak during the N.C.A.A. tournament. Was it a matter of skill, or of chance? 

Promotion and Relegation in the Premier League

Ipswich, England, hopes football club's success will revive local economy and community
https://youtu.be/IClmKqIrsBU
 
Current Premier League Standings:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/premierleague/table 

Cricket Legend Viv Richards Featured on Caribbean Currency

The East Caribbean $2 award-winning banknote features fecund reefs and a fearless batsman
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/12/currency-notes-from-corals-to-cricket-salsa-mazlan 

Revival of Chess in India

Dommaraju Gukesh and India’s Chess Comeback
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/indias-checkmate-to-china-world-chess-champion-dommaraju-gukesh-ding-liren-new-delhi-3aae06ab
He beat China’s Ding Liren to become world champion, reflecting New Delhi’s rise. 

The Youngest World Chess Champion

Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world chess champion after horrific Ding Liren blunder
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/dec/12/gukesh-dommaraju-india-wins-world-chess-championship-youngest-champion-ding-liren   

FIFA and Sportswashing

Grotesque Fifa bows down to Saudi Arabia in most craven sell-out in sport’s history
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/12/11/fifa-saudi-arabia-2034-world-cup-gianni-infantino-binsalman/
Gianni Infantino has not even attempted to justify 2034 World Cup fait accompli and no wonder – it would be defending the indefensible.

‘Many migrant workers will die’: the likely human cost of awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/dec/11/world-cup-2034-migrant-workers-saudi-arabia-exploitation-abuse

FIFA Bends Own Rules to Give Saudi Arabia Coveted 2034 World Cup
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/world/middleeast/saudi-world-cup-human-rights.html
Critics have objected to the bidding process, and human rights groups have raised concerns about workplace safety for the migrants who will build the stadiums needed to host the event.

Economics of 'Cupcake Games' in College Football

The Strange Science of Scheduling a College-Football Season
https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-strange-science-of-scheduling-a-college-football-season
“Cupcake games” are a critical part of the sport’s ecosystem—but why? 

India Dominates Chess Olympiad

Chess: India win Olympiad gold as new generation dominates in Budapest

https://www.ft.com/content/0ff78443-2f3c-4577-a98c-53106d36781b

 

Related:

https://www.espn.com/chess/story/_/id/41392539/chess-gold-rush-new-gen-champs-gukesh-divya-vantika-pragg-took-viswanathan-anand-skill-added-scale

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2024/9/23/india-wins-historic-double-team-gold-at-fide-chess-olympiad-2024#