Rife with Flaws and Questions, the World Cup is Coming

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil in less than a month, and preparations are going about as poorly as one could imagine. While much of the negative attention has been paid to Qatar 2022 in the past week, Brazil is coming up quickly in the rear-view mirror, baggage and all. The baggage comes to life in a variety of forms. Over-spending, corruption leading to protests and weather concerns have marred the build-up, an international mega-event trifecta of things that could go wrong.

Under Further Review No. 7: Travis Waldron

The sports world doesn't exist in a vacuum, no matter how hard you try to put it in one. Sports have the same kinds of political, economic and social issues that plague the rest of the world but offer a unique platform to disguise the issues in a much more palatable context. Really it's the same way that music, television, movies or any other popular culture can shape and direct conversations.