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.
I am picturing the human brain as a map of …
May 7, 2008
The papers today are ganging up on poor injury-riddled Harry …
May 7, 2008
At some point in the history of televised soccer, someone …
May 6, 2008
Since we took the time to criticize Buzz Bissinger for …
May 5, 2008
The art of being an elite club in European football …
May 5, 2008
See? See? What have we been saying all this time? …
May 2, 2008
Here’s the tape of the Buzz Bissinger-Will Leitch contretemps. Watching …
April 30, 2008
H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, the Pulitzer Prize-winner, the author of Friday …
April 30, 2008
If it’s true that the tents are about to be …
April 29, 2008
Late last year, when I wrote my “Five Stories You …
April 28, 2008
Well, that was a nasty piece of fun, wasn’t it? …
April 28, 2008
Personal websites. People have them for different reasons. For instance, …
April 25, 2008
Maybe it happened in a charity game. Maybe Michael Schumacher …
April 24, 2008
John Arne Riise’s brave own goal in yesterday’s Champions League …
April 23, 2008
“Alone at the Drive-In Movie”
April 22, 2008
Avram Grant’s eccentric press conference after Chelsea’s 1-0 win against …
April 19, 2008
Q. Was Avram Grant’s bizarre monosyllabic press conference yesterday a …
April 18, 2008
Unless you’re a fan of Getafe fullbacks or inclined to …
April 16, 2008
There’s a certain quality that comes into the facial expressions …
April 15, 2008
If you don’t want to read them, you don’t have …
April 11, 2008
Malarial lowlands. Brown mountains rigid in the distance, like the …
April 9, 2008
As anyone can tell you, managing a Premiership football club …
April 9, 2008
Tom sent along this great video of reaction shots from …
April 8, 2008
Portsmouth have beaten West Brom 1-0 to reach their first …
April 5, 2008
I am delighted to announce that The Run of Play …
April 4, 2008
You can’t fight it. You can criticize its style. You …
April 2, 2008
Robbie Savage’s hair and Robbie Savage have been around football …
April 1, 2008
April Fools’ Day is one of my favorite holidays, probably …
April 1, 2008
Birmingham City Chairman David Gold on Carson Yeung’s failed takeover …
March 31, 2008
Who likes Chelsea? Help me figure this out. The club …
March 28, 2008
Seen today on…the Internet. Always nice to catch up with …
March 27, 2008
#5 David Beckham is England’s best player. This seemed so …
March 26, 2008
I have it on good authority that Nick Hornby knows …
March 26, 2008
Young Marble Giants – “Music for Evenings”
March 25, 2008
I don’t know anything about the genius of Rafa Benítez. …
March 25, 2008
I have a post over at Pitch Invasion about the …
March 24, 2008
The endgame phase has arrived for the Barclays Premier League …
March 24, 2008
His Majesty Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, the 16th Asantehene, …
March 21, 2008
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament starts today, and to mark …
March 20, 2008
I don’t know how it works, physically, when the FA …
March 19, 2008
I have splendid truths to tell about Yakubu Aiyegbeni, the …
March 18, 2008
Look, I know I haven’t been there for you. I …
March 17, 2008
This morning I’m taking a trip to a town where …
March 13, 2008
Yeti – “Midnight Flight”
March 13, 2008
Arcade Fire – “My Body Is a Cage”
March 11, 2008
Charles Mingus – “Boogie Stop Shuffle”
March 5, 2008
Posting will be light for the next several days, due …
March 4, 2008
After Coventry City scored this goal in 1970, the FA …
March 1, 2008
I’m just going to come out and say this, as …
February 28, 2008
The taxonomy of football is a difficult and unrewarding science, …
February 26, 2008