Life Goals

For many Americans, soccer is a sport that only comes to mind during World Cups and Ted Lasso episodes. But in other parts of the world, “Football is life.” After the stressful, fun, crazy win by the US over Iran, more of us are starting to relate. Rosecrans Baldwin was introduced to broader meaning of the beautiful game by a friend. GQ: Life, Death, and Total Football. “Holland has a unique place in soccer history. In the late 1960s and ’70s, the country developed perhaps the most radical brand of football ever played. It was intensely cerebral. It was unconsciously artistic. You read about fans achieving a kind of orgasmic death-rebirth, high on football, just by watching the system work. It was called ‘total football’ and it imbued the Dutch with an outsider identity. A version of it infused Lars’s life at an early age. And what he taught me about it, years later, helped me grasp soccer much better. Moreso, three years after his passing, I can honestly say it helps me understand my work better, my relationships better, even death. Maybe call it ‘total life’ instead.”

+ Here’s a touching postgame moment that tells the story of what was, for personal, athletic, and political reasons, a remarkably emotional game. Meanwhile, “a man is reported to have been killed by security forces in northern Iran, as anti-government protesters publicly celebrated the national football team’s elimination from the World Cup.”

+ The protests in Qatar have been muted, which makes the small gestures all the more loud. England and Wales players take a knee in World Cup match.