The best of the last week (or so). Fifa, Barca, failure, and a long hour.
FOOTBALL
- Barcelona’s Champions League victory gave Luis Enrique the treble in his first season in charge. But could the team have managed itself? Messi didn’t score, but he’s still had another incredible season. And Juventus, despite losing the title, are a team reborn.
- While Gerrard and Lampard head for the States, why/how on earth did Pelé play for the New York Cosmos 40 years ago?
- Meanwhile, there’s a World Cup going on. Here’s what you should know, numbers-wise about the women’s edition.
- Nerd alert: who’s the best in the premiership at NPG/90?
FIFA
Blatter: Has he actually resigned, or is this all another ploy? And was he really all that bad? Richard Williams of the Guardian has a valiant go at making a case for Sepp.
Meanwhile, meet Andrew Jennings – the man who really kicked all this off. And what can Fifa learn from Miss World and Eurovision?
TENNIS
- She wiped all four majors in a row over a decade ago, but is this the best we’ve seen from Serena Williams?
- Stan Wawrinka gatecrashed not just Djokovic’s French Open party, but perhaps the whole top tier of tennis. Is this the end of the Big 4?
- Look who wants to save American tennis: it’s Larry Ellison.
- Plus, here’s why some tennis matches seem to take forever.
GOLF
A failure special. Tiger Woods shoots 85, and everyone wants to know how and why. Rory McIlroy seems out of sorts. Blame golf for being hard. And even Jack Nicklaus thinks he underachieved in his (18 majors) career. Tough sport.
CYCLING
‘Torture’. How Sir Bradley Wiggins broke cycling’s hour record.
RACING
American Pharoah (sic) is a triple crown winner, but he’s no Secretariat.
CRICKET
- New Zealand are reinventing Test cricket. England are not, but at least they are loveable again. Meanwhile, forget the fresh start, the West Indies are back to squabbling.
- Can you really play without a wicketkeeper?
- Plus Lucy Kellaway has a go at piercing the shiny exterior that is Shane Warne.
BASEBALL
Why is the MLB draft so low-key?
BASKETBALL
The NBA finals aren’t kind to underdogs. And they are as much about the sneaker wars as they are about basketball.
LASTLY
The most cursed sports cities in America.
Happy reading, and see you next Tuesday.
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