Brian Phillips is a former staff writer at Grantland and senior writer at MTV News. He grew up in Oklahoma and now lives in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in Slate, Deadspin, The New York Times, The Awl, The New Republic, The Hudson Review, and Poetry, among other publications. His first book, Impossible Owls, an essay collection, will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in October 2018. He founded The Run of Play in 2007 and edited it until 2011. You can follow him on Twitter.
Spurs fans get it. And yet I’ve read two dozen …
October 20, 2008
You could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, given the media’s …
October 19, 2008
Today’s guest blogger, Andrew Sartorius, is a senior at The …
October 14, 2008
The Seatbelts – “Tank!”
October 14, 2008
Oh! H-hello. I didn’t see you there. I’ve been sitting …
October 10, 2008
Taking a quick glance down the towering inferno of the …
October 10, 2008
The new FIFA World Rankings are out, and I think …
October 8, 2008
If you search it for the word “football,” Google returns …
October 8, 2008
Read Dave on MLS’s isolationst foreign policy. Read Fredorrarci on …
October 7, 2008
Start with his motile, princessy, yielding and absolute face, which …
October 7, 2008
I still don’t understand how this works or how it …
October 5, 2008
From Portsmouth’s 2-1 win over Stoke City today: the marking …
October 5, 2008
According to completely unsubstantiated reports in North Korea’s entirely state-controlled …
October 5, 2008
We’re a team of mavericks over here at The Run …
October 3, 2008
I don’t care about this. I don’t care that Joe …
October 3, 2008
It’s been the firm conclusion of our very occasional series …
October 2, 2008
David Davies, a former executive director of the FA, is …
October 2, 2008
Steven Gerrard has just scored his 100th goal for Liverpool, …
October 1, 2008
I realize that this isn’t the obvious word, but there’s …
October 1, 2008
I woke up Saturday morning with two thoughts already in …
September 29, 2008
1. Everton – Liverpool. And yet, no amount of having …
September 29, 2008
In honor of Andriy Shevchenko’s reunion with Jose Mourinho in …
September 26, 2008
The format of the UEFA Cup is something that makes …
September 26, 2008
I’ve written a guest post for EPL Talk today arguing …
September 26, 2008
“Former German international [Franz] Beckenbauer is not a Uefa executive …
September 25, 2008
You’d think Arsène Wenger would be the sort of manager …
September 24, 2008
Can we get the Childlike Empress to offer a take …
September 24, 2008
How do you feel today if you’re a Sheffield United …
September 23, 2008
Points of reference: we tend to read footballers as falling …
September 23, 2008
It’s been happening quietly, since for some reason the media …
September 22, 2008
Nothing, kind of. It was a nothing kind of game, …
September 22, 2008
West Ham are about to make Zola their new manager, …
September 9, 2008
The causes of landslides are complex and correlative, and their …
September 9, 2008
Quotes from Croatia coach Slaven Bilic on the rumors linking …
September 8, 2008
The salient feature of the Abu Dhabi royal family’s takeover …
September 8, 2008
Is anyone else alarmed by the parallels between Kevin Keegan’s …
September 5, 2008
September 4, 2008
Football is beautiful—that is, aesthetic—in the same way that all …
September 1, 2008
What every small child understands about football is that the …
August 30, 2008
It was Thursday. I opened up the “Most Sent Stories” …
August 28, 2008
He looks like a female track star. Picture him with …
August 18, 2008
I’m in the middle of moving, so new posts are …
August 13, 2008
Team nicknames in soccer are too simple. Even a child …
August 9, 2008
Tom Waits – “Jockey Full of Bourbon”
August 5, 2008
I’ve never really understood the hoopla that surrounds the unveiling …
July 30, 2008
“O what am I that I should not seem / …
July 29, 2008
Like many of you, except that in my case it’s …
July 27, 2008
A couple of months ago I told you about an …
July 23, 2008
So…meet your new MLS correspondent. I genuinely have no idea …
July 20, 2008
One thing I never get tired of in football writing …
July 17, 2008