This Week in Sports: Gearing up for the World Cup

My favorite World Cup article so far is by The Unlikely Fan and is called "The World Cup, Translated Into American". The author compares all 32 World Cup teams to what he perceives as their American equivalents, to give Americans a point of reference.

I enjoyed reading every comparison, even if some are a little weird (Mexico) while others seem pretty good (Holland). Although it did really hurt to see my (and Aaron's) beloved Chargers compared to unlikable (okay, hate-able) Portugal. Causing MP to coin the phrase Ronaldo Rivers. Grr.

Which of these comparisons work, and which need to be reassigned?

Elephant Seal: The Slippery Slope

Our friend at The Elephant Seal has a nice column today about slippery slopes and replay in baseball which I find interesting both as separate topics and combined.

Best economic structure in sports?

Guaranteed salaries ruin the NBA. The lack of a salary cap ruins baseball. The average NFL career lasts three years and earns less then $1,000,000 in a career. What is the optimal solution?