Justin Bergman, The Conversation; Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation, and Phoebe Roth, The Conversation
The value of sport
The Conversation45.1 MB(download)
As we reach the World Cup's halfway point, we're asking: what is sport worth? On today's episode, we explore the money and diplomatic power plays lingering behind the scenes of every big tournament.
China’s professional men’s soccer team did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Ibrahem Alomari/Reuters
China want to win the World Cup by 2050. This year, its team didn’t even qualify for the tournament. China has money, power and a dream – but that doesn’t add up to soccer brilliance.
Morocco’s World Cup squad training in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Anatoly Maltsev/EPA
The football world cup offers a useful chance to consider the apparent division between North and sub-Saharan Africa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev watch the action during the match between Russia and Saudi Arabia that opened the 2018 World Cup.
Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Australia has won the soccer World Cup three times, in simulation games only. So what are the challenges to predicting the winner?
Superstar Diego Maradona holds up the World Cup trophy in 1986. The World Cup tournament may prompt some people to get out and play themselves, leading to possible injuries.
(AP Photo/Carlo Fumagalli)
Made up almost entirely of West Germans, the roster of Germany’s national soccer team reflects divisions that remain almost 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
One of the favourites to win the World Cup, Germany’s national football team, on their way to Russia.
Armando Babani/EPA
Can we trust expert football predictions? Perhaps, but it’s variable.
Fans hold banners and cheer, as the U.S. team takes the field for a World Cup qualifying soccer match against Panama, Oct. 6, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.
AP Photo/John Raoux
Sports fans are of two types: purists and partisans. The attitudes of both can affect the game. An expert explains which one you are and what that means.
Argentine striker Mario Kempes controlling the ball during his team’s win against the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup.
El Grafico
What should have been a great year for Australian soccer has been let down by underwhelming fan interest and a distracting dispute between Football Federation Australia and A-League clubs.
Drinking coffee before exercising could make you run faster and lift heavier - if you’ve the right genes.
The shirt numbers of Brisbane Roar player Ivan Franjic are seen to dislodge during the Preliminary Stage 2 AFC Champions League match between the Brisbane Roar and Ceres Negros FC at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre in Brisbane, Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
AAP Image/ Dave Hunt
