Improving the World Cup: A Matter of Thinking Outside the Goal

Two things stood out for me in the wake of the World Cup of 2010: the sheer number of low-scoring games and the number of bad calls. The latter was the easier to fix. FIFA could have relaxed its opposition to instant replay even though it was not feasible technologically or financially for every game in the world.  The organization could have simply stated that every game in the World Cup would be subject to instant replay. The problem of low-scoring games, which has plagued other World Cup tournaments, is seemingly more intractable, but actually quite easy to solve if practicality is allowed some wiggle room in an otherwise fixed notion that the game not only should not be reformed, but also can not be changed.  

The full essay is at "Reforming the World Cup."

Nike Takes a Controversial Stand on NFL-Player Protests: A Foray into Unnecessary Risk

“Nike became Nike because it was built on the idea of rebellion,” Jemele Hill, a sports journalist wrote. “This is the same company that dealt w/ the NBA banning Air Jordans. They made [Michael] Jordan the face of the company at a time when black men were considered to be a huge risk as pitch men.”[1] Just days before the 2018-2019 NFL football season got underway, Nike threw “its weight behind one of the most polarizing figures in football, and America: former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.”[2] He had been a leader in the black players’ movement to protest, by kneeling during the national anthem, the recurring abuse of power by police. The element of financial risk in Nike’s decision to include Kaepernick in an advertising campaign brings up the question: should businesses take sides on political issues—particularly, on contentious ones?

The full essay is at "Nike on Race, Police, and the National Anthem at Football Games."

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1. Nathaniel Meyersohn, “Nike Takes Sides, Tapping Colin Kaepernick for New ‘Just Do It’ Ad,” CNN Money, September 4, 2018 (accessed same day).

2. Ibid.

The Big Short and Concussion: A System on Steroids

Want a glimpse of the "powers that be," American-style? Three films--"The Big Short," "Concussion," and "Spotlight"--together form a perfect storm that in theory could trigger resistance. More practically speaking, the films are likely to result in more departmentalization, psychologically speaking. 

The full essay is at "The Big Short and Concussion."

FIFA: Weaving an Unethical Web in a Sport

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. Unfortunately, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international association of soccer, has “repeatedly faced charges of corruption while operating with a lack of transparency and little oversight.”[1] Even though corruption comes naturally to individuals, institutional processes and structure too can be unethical in themselves. In such cases, it is not sufficient to isolate and remove the sordid persons; structural reform is needed too.

The full essay is in Cases of Unethical Business: A Malignant Mentality of Mendacity, available at Amazon.

1. Jeré Longman, “Accusations Are Replaced by Anger at FIFA,” The New York Times, May 30, 2011.

On the Value of Wealth in American and European Society: Who Should Receive the Trophy in Sports?

Just after winning the World Cup of 2010, FIFA officials handed the trophy to the team captain of the Spanish team rather than to the coach or a team owner (in this case, an official of Spain).  In contrast, at the Kentucky Derby, the honors went to the horse’s owner, rather than to the jockey. The distinctively American value on wealth could not be more evident, and the contrast with the World Cup confirms it.  

The full essay is in Cases of Unethical Business, which is available at Amazon.