Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World?s Most Popular Sport by Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski

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Synopsis

Just in time for the world’s most anticipated and watched sporting event—the World Cup—two award-winning journalists reveal the secrets, mysteries, and oddities of the beautiful game

Library Journal

Small book, big wallop! This econometric look at the world's most popular sport is worth the price and the effort it can take to plough through the numbers here to understand why some soccer clubs succeed where others fail as Parisian Kuper and Londoner Szymanski take an in-depth look at soccer and its impact on the nations where the sport is next to religion, as well as its smaller following in the United States. From an initial chapter on England's soccer misfortunes to a comparison between club soccer and the NFL, the authors use statistics to reveal truly fascinating insights into soccer, the men (mostly) who play it, and the behind-the-scenes business of soccer—although the authors conclude soccer is not big business. In fact, they call soccer "the worst business in the world." Although necessarily tied down by the numbers game, the text is fast paced and often humorous, with a strong air of sarcasm that will delight readers. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended to all soccer fans, general and specialized, as well as those thinking of becoming one.—Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL

Biography

Simon Kuper is one of the world’s leading writers on soccer. His book Soccer Against the Enemy won the William Hill Prize for sports book of the year in Britain. He writes a weekly sports column in the Financial Times. He lives in Paris.

Stefan Szymanski is professor of economics and MBA Dean at Cass Business School in London. Tim Harford has called him “one of the world’s leading sports economists.” Szymanski lives in London.