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The View From Inside A São Paulo World Cup Protest
SÃO PAULO—During the lead-in to the World Cup, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to protest a range of social ills highlighted—and exacerbated—by the arrival of Swiss distressed debt shop FIFA. Protesters wanted better health care and education, higher wages, lower transit costs. They want...

Freshman Sprinting Phenom Wins NCAAs, Sets World Junior Record
Trayvon Bromell, the 18-year-old freshman from Baylor, had already run a blistering 9.77 seconds (wind-aided) for 100 meters this season. But on Friday, he crushed a field of upperclassmen to win his first national title with a wind-legal 9.97, a time which, pending ratification, will be a 19-and-un...

Game Of OMG's: How The Internet Became One Giant Spoiler Alert
I can't stop thinking about Ginsberg's nipple. While shearing off that irksome "valve" may have relieved some pressure and brought a measure of peace to Mad Men's resident alien, even a month later, it still stares at me from its dainty gift box as a symbol of sadness and frustration, and a reminder...

Learning To Pitch
Head on over the SB Nation's Longform site and check out this lovely story by Rachel Toor about dating the late Bob Welch:...

Mike Florio To Eagles Receipt Prankster: "Grow Up"
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio—journalist, TV personality, and lawyer at Schmuck, Hack, and Gasbag LLP—has some thoughts on Eagles guard Evan Mathis's receipt gag:...

Dad In Brazil Blows Up His Protesting Son's Spot, Tells Him To Get A Job
There you are, trying to join in on the great social movement of your young life, chants in your mouth, shirt covering your face. But then dad sees you, pulls the shirt off your face, and makes you go home. Goddammit, dad....

What's Up With That Spray The Referee Used On Brazil's Free Kick?
On Brazil's free kick toward the end of the first half, World Cup viewers got their first look at one of this tournament's new wrinkles: A can of vanishing spray used by referees to mark off the distance defenders must stand from the ball....

Here's What The Top Prediction Models Say About The World Cup
The World Cup kicks off in a few hours, which means the results of the many, many prediction models that have popped up in the last few weeks will finally be tested. Below are some of the best examples; this is a good time to remind you that betting markets are usually the strongest predictors of al...

Everything You Need To Know About Every World Cup Team
Here's your full World Cup preview hub, where you can find our breakdowns for all 32 teams throughout the tournament. ...

World Cup Group H Preview: A Dark Horse, A Couple Mules, And A Goat
Here's your Group G hub and open thread where you'll find our previews and predictions....

How Russia Evolved Into One Of The World Cup's Most Dangerous Teams
Russia's march to Brazil began at the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland/Ukraine. The Russians, led by Dutch manager Dick Advocaat captured the attention of Europe with a comprehensive 4-1 thrashing of the Czech Republic in their opening game. The free-flowing, explosive Russian attack, a product of Ad...

Hey, At Least Getting Bashed In Group Play Won't Break Algeria's Heart
Algerians, like many former French colonies, are used to watching some of their most promising potential internationals playing for the old rulers. Algerian fans will probably cheer Karim Benzema due to the French-born striker's Algerian heritage. They might also rue, or maybe sardonically snicker a...

Here Are Some Fun Ways To Lose Money Betting On The World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is Earth's single greatest sporting event. It also happens to be Earth's best excuse to gamble at noon on a weekday for no reason passing degeneracy. And given that the World Cup is the rest of the world's Super Bowl, and any Super Bowl-level event is at its heart a chance to make...

Can South Korea Make Another Surprise Run In Brazil?
South Korea are one of Asia's traditional soccer powers. They and Japan have bossed the continent for decades now, coasting to World Cup to World Cup, where they've tried to prove that Asia's got real talent. In Brazil, South Korea have a chance to once again show that though Asia's a historically w...

Heartbroken Dude Attacks Ex-Girlfriend And Ex-Best Friend Via T-Shirts
When your girlfriend hooks up with your best friend, living well is the best revenge, but the second-best revenge is selling $13 sky-blue T-shirts emblazoned with "Fuck You Todd & Jessica!" as the pretense for an all-caps rant in which you lambaste Jessica as a "CHERUBIC CONCUBINE TWAT LORD" and inf...

Let's Stop Calling Belgium A Dark Horse
It's not a perfect fit, but Belgium are the closest thing we have to a true dark horse in this World Cup. They won't step onto the pitch as a mysterious bunch of kids in cleats—indeed, the whole reason they are so intriguing is because everyone expects these Belgians to be running things in a few ye...

Fan Ridicule Leads Soccer Team To Abandon Logo
Louisville City FC introduced its logo last week, to the outrage and disappointment of fans and designers who called it ugly, amateurish, and quickly demonstrated that they could do better. It took less than a day for the team to admit it screwed up, and announce it would hold a fan contest to pick ...

World Cup Group G Preview: Let's Just Kill 'Em And Get Breakfast
Here's your Group G hub and open thread where you'll find our previews and predictions....

Germany, Now Ravaged By Injuries, Should Still Walk The Group Of Death
It wasn't too long ago— a few weeks, maybe—that Germany looked a lock to travel down to Brazil and cut a bloody path through the World Cup. Then came the injuries. ...

Can Ghana Break American Hearts Once Again?
Ghana locked up a spot in Brazil by first cruising to the top of their African qualifying group, then demolishing Bob Bradley's Egypt over 2 legs by an aggregate 7-3 score line. The Black Stars allowed only 6 goals in their 8 qualifying games, while scoring 25 of their own. They were led by veteran ...